Balance
by Gemini Star01
Summary: The new kids, the twins, are different. Takuya knows this, he's seen them, watched them. But he never expected how different they really are...nor how much of an effect they are going to have on his life. Kindacross with Loveless, keep an open mind.
1. Prologue

This is what some people would consider a 'prologue' to a _Loveless_-based Digimon fic. However, while this scene is written out in my mind and has been driving me crazy since I picked up the _Loveless_ manga two weeks ago. If you don't know anything about _Loveless_, there are just three things you need to know to understand this fic: 1) everyone in the world is born with cat ears and a tail, which they loose the moment they've lost their 'innocence' (wink wink). 2) to compete in magical battles, the two sides must both be made of two people, a Fighter Unit, who casts spells using his words, and a Sacrifice, who gives his power to his partner. And finally, 3) Septiminal Moon is a mysterious organization from the manga. I have no idea who they are either, which is why I'm stopping here for now, and may continue this little midnight sleep avoidance once I get a better handle on this world's main villains.

**WARNINGS: **This thingy contains assisted self-mutilation, lots of angst, and what may very well be Koukou shonen-ai, though it could also be extremely devoted brotherly affection, depending on how you interrupt it. So…be warned, and don't flame. Eikichi collects them, and _nobody _wants to know what he does with them…

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both, and this scene is driving me crazy…_

**Balance**

The rain was pouring down outside the window, but neither of the boys inside the small, shadowed room seemed to take any notice. The room itself had almost nothing in it, save two futons and a few boxes, packed and ready for an impending move. The boys were crouched on a sheet they had spread over the ground, very close to each other but far from anything else in the room, save the soft glow of the streetlight outside shifting in through the window despite the storm.

The shorter-haired of the two boys, older than his twin by mere minutes, bit his lip anxiously as he gazed at his brother across the sheet. The black cat-ears perched amidst his short, dark hair twitched anxiously, the long black tail curled around his ankles in a nervous manner. "Are…Are you sure about this, Kouji?"

"You don't want to do it?" His brother asked, slipping his ponytail behind his shoulder. Behind him, an identical black tail was twitching just a little with every crash of thunder.

"I…I don't want to…h-hurt…"

"Nii-san, it's all right." Kouji looked at his twin kindly, putting a hand over the clutched fist resting near his right knee. "If you can't do it, it's all right. There's bound to be another way, somehow. Maybe I'll find another person with our name who'd be willing…"

Kouichi looked up at him, his eyes watering. "You know…I couldn't bear that, Kouji."

Kouji smiled gently. "I know. Neither could I."

Kouichi smiled softly, but his eyes still held a hesitant expression. "But Kouji…are you sure this is the only way to do it? I mean…do I have to…"

"Kouichi." Kouji's features were serious and a bit harsh, but he tried his very hardest to keep a kind gaze in his eyes as he leaned closer to his brother. "Yes, I'm sure. You're not built for battling, you wouldn't survive being the Fighter Unit. It has to be me."

"B-But I…" Kouichi looked back down at his hand, still covered by his brother's. "I don't want to hurt you. I don't…"

"You won't." Kouji squeezed the top of his brother's hand once more. "But you have to do this, Kouichi. You want to find out what happened to mom, right?"

"Of course I do…"

"And we've both agreed this is the right way." Kouji stressed, releasing his brother's hand. "You'll be the Sacrifice, I'll be your Fighter Unit. You have to Mark me to make the contract work."

He turned away from his older brother for a moment, reaching down to nimbly pull the thin blue shirt over his head. He tossed it away, watching it flutter off into the darkness before turning back around. Kouichi was fingering the scalpel anxiously, its silver blade flashing in the moonlight. The elder brother's fingers were hesitant as it checked the sharpness of the blade, taking care not to cut himself as he did.

His dark eyes turned to scan over Kouji's bare arms, shoulders and chest. "Where…Where should it go?"

Kouji slid a bit closer and offered the upper part of his left arm. "It'll be easy to reach, and easier to hide."

"All right…"

Kouichi reached out and took his brother's wrist, stretching the arm out as he lowered the hand to the sheet. The skin on the arm stretched to its most taunt, especially where the muscles rippled on the upper arm.

"Okay…" The elder twin took a deep breath, reaching out with the scalpel still clutched in his hand. His arm shook a bit, but he tried to hold it steady as it got closer to his brother's skin. "Here it goes…"

Kouji suddenly reached up with his free hand and seized his brother's wrist. Kouichi's took in a sharp gasp and froze, afraid he might have hurt him already.

"If you don't open your eyes, you're going to make a mistake."

"O-oh…"

Kouichi forced his eyes open, his gaze meeting that of his brother. Kouji smile and nodded, his cat-ears perked in a normal, calm position as his tail curled around Kouichi's other wrist comfortingly. The elder brother had his ears pressed against the top of his head, biting his lip as his tail swished back and forth uneasily.

"O-Okay then…" He gulped, forcing his eyes to stay open as he leaned in again, Kouji's hand steadying his shaking wrist. "H-Here it goes…"

The skin gave way rather easily under the sharp knife, and soon the blood began to flow. Kouji didn't said a word, but his brother began sobbing quietly, tears rolling down his cheeks even as he added more and more strokes to their 'art'.

"B…"

Careful positioning, another few slices, working into jagged corners and ragged, blocky letters of gooey red blood.

"A…"

Kouichi choked out another sob as the blood rolled down his brother's arm, dripping onto the sheet below them. He paused a moment to wipe the tears away on his sleeve, then continued with the grisly work.

"L…A…"

Kouji kept his breathing firm and even, trying to keep on a calm front for his nervous brother, but the stinging pain of each new slice was starting to get to him. His long, black tail twitched anxiously, waiting for it to be over.

"N…C…"

Kouichi could hardly see what he had done for all the blood now, the smeared, sticky red that was now flowing freely and dripping in a painful, measured rhythm. His tears flowed freely as well, joining the blood to stain the previously-white sheet as he finished the last letter.

"E…"

A long slash underlined the finished word and the scalpel was thrown to the ground. Kouichi dove for a towel and wrapped it around his brother's arm desperately. "We've got to…We've got to stop the bleeding!" He sobbed, tightening the towel like a tourniquet.

"Kouichi…"

"I'm sorry!" Sobbed the slightly-older boy, gripping the towel tightly, soaking up his brother's blood. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm…"

Kouji reached out with his free hand, the one belonging to the undamaged arm, and cupped his brother's chin in the crook of his thumb. He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the other boy's cheek, a warm and gentle expression of devotion and love.

Kouichi gasped and snapped his eyes open, his breathing short and hesitant, gulping in air as his hands relaxed over the inflicted wound. Kouji's mild smirk turned into a loving smile as he pulled back, gently stroking the cheek he had kissed with his fingers.

"I'm yours, big brother." He whispered, his tail wrapping warmly around the other's ankle. "Now and forever. Nobody can separate us, not now, and not ever."

Kouichi sniffed lightly, his ears twitching, leaning closer to see his brother's face in the pale moonlight. "You promise?"

"Promise."

Kouji let go of his brother's face and wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders instead, pulling Kouichi close so that the older brother's head against his chest. Kouichi took the invitation and snuggled closer, his own black tail curling around the two boys. The blood, slowed to a mild trickle that could barely move down the now-sticky skin.

"Forever, for never." Kouji whispered again, running a hand through his brother's hair and gently scratching behind one of the black kitty-ears. "I'll be here for you, whenever you need me. Forever."

"Me too." Kouichi whispered, pulling himself just a little bit close. "Forever."

And outside the window, the rain kept pouring down.

**Owari**

Okay, yeah…That's what happens when Gemini Star doesn't get enough sleep…or gets too much…or something. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it in all its stupidly complicated-ness.


	2. The New Kids

Hey! Guess who finally got the second volume of _Loveless_ and got enough information to continue this? Yeah, that's right…after three months, I can finally get this thing off the ground! So enjoy, minna-san!

An important note about the twin's relationship before this thing gets into full swing: I have no idea where they're going with this. I do know that _Loveless_ is extremely ambiguous when it comes to relationships, not to mention being very confusing…and thus, the way Kouji and Kouichi are behaving in this fic. Somebody will explain it…eventually…but until then, just hold on for a bit, okay?

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both, and this scene is driving me crazy…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 1: The New Kids**

Takuya Kanbara scowled down at the orange-and-black ball cap in his hands. "Maybe I shouldn't have bought this…"

It wasn't that he didn't like the hat - he really, really did, he'd been looking for this particular design ever since he'd seen in Akihabara over a year ago. But now that he'd finally gotten his hands on it, there was just one little problem:

It was made for adults.

He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, frowning at the auburn-brown cat ears poking out through his mop of chin-length hair. Behind him, a graceful tail covered in long brown fur of a matching color fwapped back and forth in annoyance through the back of his jeans. For the first time in his fourteen-year-old life, he wished that he could loose his cat-like appendages - but those thoughts quickly vanished with a shudder. What would his mother say?

Takuya shook his head, pushing the wonderings completely from his mind, and went back to scowling at the cap. He put it on his head, feeling where the ears pushed the cloth up just a little bit, and marked the place with a pen. He pulled the hat off and picked up a pair of scissors.

He hesitated just a moment - if he ruined the hat after all this time, he would never forgive himself - but he screwed up his courage and cut along the lines.

Twenty minutes later he was off to school, the cap nicely on his head, his ears poking through the slits easily and brightly. There was a cocky sort of smirk on his face, with good reason. It was the first day back to school since their two-week summer break, and he wanted to show his friends his new financial triumph.

"Watch out!"

Takuya's brain took seven seconds to process the message, and in five seconds someone crashed into him, knocking them both to the ground.

Takuya sat up with some difficulty, seeing as the person in question was sprawled over him. Takuya's hat was now hanging uncomfortably on the tips of his ears, which made him even more annoyed than he usually did. "Hey!" He snarled, bristling. "Watch where you're going!"

"You watch it!" The other growled, sitting up. "I gave you plenty of warning!"

Takuya blinked and frowned at the figure, whom he now realized was a boy around his age, with dark hair and blue eyes. His hair was waist-length, his bangs held back by a blue-and-yellow bandana. His face was serious, but relatively handsome, and kind of rough-and-tumble, the sort of tough-guy face that girls always seemed to like. He was wearing a heavy black shirt with long sleeves and a high collar, partially covered by a navy blue jacket with torn-off sleeves and fitted denim jeans that hung easily on his hips but fell baggily around his black tennis shoes. A sleek, blue-black tail, with shorter and more manageable hair than Takuya's bushier brown, flicked at the air angrily as though swatting flies, and his ears twitched in the air in annoyance.

Looking him over as they pushed away from one another, Takuya thought that there was something wrong. After a moment, it clicked: he'd never seen this kid before, not at school, not in the neighborhood, not anywhere. He'd been run down by a total stranger.

"Hey…" He said slowly, his territorial instincts flaring. "Who the heck are…"

"Kouji!"

The other boy, 'Kouji', turned his head and rose up to one knee at the second voice. Takuya followed his line of sight and his eyebrows shot up.

There was another figure approaching, rushed and out of breath as though he'd been chasing something…someone…at full speed. His face was strikingly identical to Kouji's, with the same eyes, nose, shape and skin tone, but it was also…different. Softer. Gentler. More sweet, less gruff, and there was a bandage on his left cheek as though he'd been scraped. His hair was shorter, too, a bit short than Takuya's, and much messier, but his ears and tail were identical to the other's. He was wearing long sleeves as well, a high-collared maroon T-shirt with a green vest over it and tan cargo pants beneath, a dark blue back pack slung over one shoulder. There was a black wristband peaking out from the sleeve of his shirt, and a silver chain dangling around his neck.

"Kouji!" He gasped again, coming to the boy's side and taking a deep breath. "What was that all about? You just ran off and…oh!"

He'd finally spotted Takuya on the ground, and his eyes widened in understanding. He slid past his brother and crossed to the brown-haired boy and helped him up by the arm, bowing his head repeatedly.

"I am so sorry." He said quickly, shuddering a bit in his hasty bows. "I really am. Kouji gets a little out of hand sometimes…"

"I do not." Kouji scowled, flicking the cat ear of the other boy lightly. "He's the one who didn't move when I told him to, Nii-san."

'Nii-san'…so they were brothers. Twins, from the looks of their faces, and Takuya's eyebrows raised a bit more as the elder brother helped him to his feet.

"I'm really sorry." He was saying again, bowing some more. "And Kouji's sorry, too, right?"

The other straightened and tossed his hair back. "No."

"Kouji!" His brother elbowed him in the side. "_Apologize."_

Kouji scowled, but let out a huff like sigh and gave a stiff sort of shrug. "Sorry."

Then, he turned sharply on his heels and stalked off without another word, slinking down the street in a cold, distant manner. His brother faltered a moment, then apologized to Takuya once more and took off after him.

Takuya watched them go a moment, then reached up and straightened his had.

"Weird." He muttered, and started out for school again.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Kouji! Kouji, wait up!"

Kouji Minamoto took a deep, steadying breath - he was determined not to take out his frustration on his brother - and turned back. "Yes, Nii-san?"

His brother, Kouichi Kimura, slowed to a stop by his side. He looked worried, his blue-point cat ears pressed against his forehead worriedly. "Is something wrong, Kouji? You just ran off…and all of a sudden, too. What's going on?"

Kouji sighed. The words hadn't been an order, so he could ignore them if he wished, but…his brother was worried.

"I felt a presence." He muttered, looking around cautiously with hesitant eyes. "Another one of them…of us."

Kouichi took in a sharp breath. "A Fighter Unit? Here?"

"Yeah." Kouji grit his teeth. "But I lost them when I crashed into that dope."

"He's not a dope. Don't be rude." Kouichi chastised, and tugged the other's ear lightly. He looked very concerned. "But Kouji…a Fighter Unit? Here? They can't have tracked us already…"

"They would have attacked if we were their goal." Kouji reasoned and shook his head. Then he smiled and reached over to squeeze his twin's hand. "Don't worry, Nii-san. There's no way for them to find us now, not already. And besides, at this point, they won't come after us until we give them a reason to. So we won't give them a reason, right?"

"Yeah…" Kouichi paused just a moment, the squeezed his brother's hand. "You're right, Kouji. Thanks."

Kouji squeezed back, keeping that rare smile on his lips a few seconds before it disappeared into only his eyes once more. He raised one shoulder and jerked his head down the street. "Come on. We better get to school."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Takuya stretched his limbs and popped a crick out of his neck, letting out a lion-like yawn. His head sank down to the top of his second-row assigned seat, his ears twitching and free now that his hat was stashed safely in his bag, away from the eyes of his teachers.

He was bored. This was perfectly normal for him - he's always hated the actual 'school' part of school, being confined to a room of people he wasn't fond of, save a select few, and listening to various teachers going in and out and on and on…

"Good morning, class." Said the voice of their teacher, Kanone-sensei, as he stepped to the front of the class. "And welcome back. I take it you all had a good break?"

The room was filled with various mumbles of assent, most of them asking for another week or so.

"And I suppose at least some of you might have noticed that we have added two desks to our room."

Two desks? Takuya blinked and twisted around. Indeed, the desk behind him and the one beside it were empty, completely voice of all signs of students. But that could only mean…

"And, if your brains haven't yet turned to mush, you might have guess that this means we have two new students joining us from now on. I trust you will all make them feel welcome." Kanone-sensei smiled at his class, then turned to the door. "All right, come on in."

The door slid open and the room almost immediately burst into excited, eager whispers, as though the new kids couldn't hear every word uttered about them.

"Oooh! Cuties! They're so cute!"

"Check out their faces! Dude, you think they're twins?"

"No duh, Sherlock."

"What's with the outfits? Who wears long sleeves at this time of year?"

"Do you think they're taken?"

Takuya shot straight up in surprise the moment he lay eyes on the new pair. His mind shouted in surprise even though his mouth stayed silent. "_It's those guys!"_

'Kouji' scowled at him in sour remembrance, but the other boy smiled and reached discretely to take his brother's hand in a shy manner.

"Class," Kanone-sensei cleared his throat and quieted his students. "I would like you to meet Kouji Minamoto-kun," Kouji gave a small, obligatory nod, making the girls squeal, "and Kouichi Kimura-kun."

More squeals, from the mothering group this time, and 'Kouichi' smiled at them shyly, his eyes downcast. The boys were busy mumbling to each other, some in indignation, others in curiosity about the differing last names.

Kanone waited until the class had calmed down, checking his roster as he did. "There are free seats behind Kanbara-kun, boys. You can sit there." He glanced up for a second. "Takuya, raise your hand so they can find you."

Takuya didn't want to raise his hand, didn't want to draw their attention to him again, but his hand moved before he could stop it and the twins came over. Kouji, still scowling, slid into the row-over seat, while Kouichi gave Takuya a kind smile and took the seat behind him.

Takuya sighed and slumped in his plastic seat as Kanone began his lecture. He could still feel Kouji's eyes on his back, cold and intense. He shuddered. Of all the people to 'run into' this morning, it was just his luck for it to be the crazy new kid…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"This is boring."

An old, empty tin can bounced across the sidewalk and off a nearby garbage can, frightening away several stray cats. The foot that kicked it folded back behind the other cockily, both wearing bright pink high-tops with floppy blue socks.

A second pair of legs, these in booths, approached calmly. "I know. But we can't make scene. Just relax."

"I don't wanna relax." The owner of the high tops pouted. "I wanna get this over with. I _hate _pick up and delivery."

"Yeah. I know." The boots twisted to kick the nearest trash can, leaving a deep dent in its metal side. "But we've got our orders, and we need to follow them. So relax. It won't be too long now…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Lunch could be, and was today, a massive mob of maniacs meandering around the school yard. And Takuya loved it.

He loved the crowds of bright and energetic kids, he loved being out in the air and the sunshine, and most of all, he loved the food. Real, honest-to-goodness hot food from fresh from the school store and absolutely anything _but _healthy.

Today, thanks to certain lunchtime clubs that drew his friends away to such things as computer programming, kendo and (shudder) chess, was now eating a large mess of sweet sugar dumplings all on his lonesome at the base of one of the oak trees growing on the school grounds. And, naturally, he was stuffing his face.

"Oh, yeah!" He grinned broadly to himself, taking a big bite of sugar-coated, sweet-dough wrapped strawberry jam goodness. "Now _this_ is the life, baby!"

He took another big bite and chewed, making sure to keep his mouth closed less out of the desire to be polite and more to keep all the delightful little bits and pieces inside. And, because he was quiet now, he could hear the sounds around him, especially a voice that floated from the other side of the tree:

"Nii-san, this looks great."

Takuya, in true curiosity-killed-the-cat-type fashion, craned his head around the trunk in mid-chew to confirm what he had already guessed. The voice was Kouji Minamoto, speaking to Kouichi about the bento box that lay open in the younger twin's lap. The elder had a light blush on his cheeks and two chopsticks in his hands. "It's not that good. I just used the stuff at home."

"But still, it looks so good." Kouji gave him a small nod, and Takuya abruptly realized that his expression was kind and caring - something that the brown-haired boy had never even imagined on this particular new classmate. "You've outdone yourself. It all looks wonderful."

Kouichi muttered a soft thanks and broke the chopsticks apart. He took the pair into his hands and picked out a piece of chicken from the box. He smiled and offered the meat to his brother. "Try some?"

Kouji smiled again and allowed himself to be fed.

Takuya turned away from the scene, shuddering just a bit. He had to admit, he didn't know these two - he'd only met them this morning, and only then on accident - but that particular picture was a little too far. It was less 'twin brothers sharing lunch' and more…more…

"Hey, Kanbara!"

Takuya snapped his head up, gulping the rest of the dumpling down in one uncomfortable gulp. He coughed a bit, then sputtered and squeaked a bit. "Y-Yeah…"

It was a basket ball player, one of kids from class that Takuya didn't recognize on sight. "There's somebody wanting to talk to you. Over there."

Takuya, still coughing lightly on his half-swallowed bun, climbed to his feet and set off for the rear of the school, not pausing to wonder why one would want to speak with him without anyone else around or why his classmate shook his head in confusion and went back to his game as though nothing had happened. The more sensitive in the school yard might have felt a certain chill that meant something bad was going to happen. But Takuya felt nothing, and that's why he didn't suspect.

He wander aimlessly in the school's back-alley, stepping around the various pieces of trash and beer bottles from the kids who slipped back here to smoke. There was a dumpster and several trash cans which lived back here, all lined up against the wall. One of the cans was badly dented. Another was knocked over.

For the first time, Takuya started to get anxious, and he couldn't explain why.

"Hey." He called, his voice echoing off the shadowy walls. His ears and his tail swished back and forth nervously. "Anybody here?"

He was answered by a light-hearted but cold giggle that sent a shiver up his spine and made the fur on his tail stand on end. The giggle grew gradually louder as a pair of people stepped out from behind the dumpster.

The giggling one was a little girl, shorter than Takuya even though she seemed to be a bit older, who skipped out wearing hot pink high-tops that matched her bright, curly pigtails. Pink-and-white bangs fell into her pretty, bright blue eyes, while the long pigtails framed her heart-shaped face. Besides the high tops, she also wore thick blue stockings, a knee-length pink skirt with matching jacket and a sky-blue T-shirt. There was a backpack over her shoulders in the shape of a turtle, and the tips of her ears and tail were white.

The other, a boy, was much older than his friend, maybe in high school from what Takuya could tell. He had long black hair, a bit more than shoulder length, and sharp brown eyes. He seemed short, for his age, more lithe and thin than burly to strong. He wore thick black combat boots and long blue jeans with a black-and-white long-sleeved T-shirt and black gloves. His ears and tail matched his hair, both smooth and sleek and black.

"Hey!" Perked the little girl, waving brightly. "Are you Takuya Kanbara-ra-kun?"

"Uh…yeah." The boy took a hesitant step back. "Have we met?"

The girl grinned. "Nopes!"

The boy sniffed, reaching to take a piece of paper from his pocket. It was slightly glossy - a photograph. "He's the one. Matches the picture exactly."

"Picture?" Takuya took another step backwards, his heart pounding and his hair joining his fur in standing on end. "You've got my picture? What the hell are you…"

"We've found our target." The boy said coldly, not looking at Takuya. "Go fetch, Kyo."

"Yooooou got it!"

Before Takuya could move another step, she had raced forward to only inches in front of him. She gave him a bright, cheery grin, then lifted her hand to rest on his forehead.

"**Weakness. Your body is getting weak."** She hissed, and her voice sounded different - more powerful, more definite, more…commanding. And, as the words hit his ears, he could feel his body growing more feeble beneath him. "**You can't resist now. I have sapped your strength. Your strength is now mine. You cannot fight us now."**

Takuya's knees wobbled, failing under his weight. His eyes rolled and his head spun, he couldn't even speak. He felt as though he was going to faint…

"Kanbara-kun!"

The new voice broke through the web-like spell of words, startling Takuya's mind back into reality. It was not quite enough to stop his legs from giving way, which they did, but his body was caught and supported by another.

"Kanbara-kun!" The voice gasped again, shaking him lightly. "Are you all right? Kanbara-kun!"

"Nueh…" Takuya mumbled, rolling his head back to look at his support. "Kimura?"

And, indeed, it was. Right behind Kouichi, Kouji spared only a second to glance at them before he turned to the new pair. "I knew it."

"Eeep!" The girl bounced backwards, landing easily in front of her friend. "Hiro! Hiro! That kid's another Fighter Unit!"

"And you didn't sense him before?" Hiro exclaimed, looking mad.

"I was distracted!"

Kouji said nothing, but kept himself firmly between the arguing pair and his classmates, gritting his teeth. After a moment, Hiro and Kio stopped fighting, turning almost frightening glares on the long-haired boy.

"Move." Growled Hiro.

Kouji grit his teeth. "Make me."

Hiro sneered. "Fine."

And Takuya's life was never the same again.

_**TBC…**_

I'll explain the magic battle stuff later, probably in the next chapter. I don't have time to do it now.

The only thing that annoys me about the _Loveless_ character deigns is that most of the tails are short and stubby, like a puppy's rather than a kitten's. So most of the characters in this story have long tails, like Ritsuka's and Seimei's. I'm also having fun matching the characters to their cat 'breed' - Kouji and Kouichi are both short-haired Russian Blue-Point tabbies, while Takuya is a long-haired Turkish Angora, specifically a classic cream tabby. I think they're cute!


	3. The Power of Words

Next stop debate tournament, but I figured I'd update this before I left. Enjoy.

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both, and this scene is driving me crazy…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 2: The Power of Words**

There were times when the natural 'Fighter Sense' used for locating and tracking other Units could be a real pain in the butt.

Kouji had been enjoying his lunch when the sudden burst of waves hit, and the interruption had absolutely _ruined_ the moment between himself and his brother. That was the first reason he was more annoyed than usual - those moment were too _special_ to him for something like this to get in the way!

The second thing that was bothering him was the massive headache building in his in the base of his skull from the constant fading in and out of the signal as the other until drew into his range, then backed away before he could get a lock. The throbbing pain prodded him every time his heart beat, and it was getting more annoying than he could describe.

As such, he was more than happy to take his pent-up rage on the source of this problem…

The other Unit's Sacrifice scowled at the twins sourly. "Who are you two?"

Kouji set his jaw. "None of your business."

"I wasn't talking to _you_!" Hiro snapped. Now it was Kouji's turn to scowl - it was _so_ easy to treat another's fighter like the textbook said…

Hiro, as expected from his attitude, ignored Kouji completely and turned his eyes to Kouichi. The gentler of the two twins met his gaze easily, keeping a hand on the weakened (and baffled) Takuya's shoulder. He paused just a moment, wetting his dry lips before he spoke. "Our name is 'Balance'."

Hiro's eyebrows shot to his hairline as Aiko drew back with as gasp. "You're _Balance_?" The girl shrieked slightly. "No way no way no way!"

"What are you doing here?" Hiro demanded, his eyes narrowing sharply.

Kouji smirked, his ears and tail twitching coyly. "New school. Just our luck, isn't it?"

Aiko bristled all over, the fur on her ears and tail standing on end. "Don't be so cocky, you jerk!"

"You're the cocky ones." Kouji sniffed, taking a step to the right to keep himself between the opponents and his brother like a cautious guard dog. "You come into our school and attack a classmate…"

"It's got nothing to do with you." Hiro sniffed, looking down his nose at the longhaired twin. "It's a job. Just a job."

Kouji's eyes narrowed. "For the School?"

"For the School."

For a moment, there was a pungent silence as Kouji contemplated his next move. Then he sighed. "I suppose I have no choice, then."

Hiro smirked triumphantly.

"I challenge you to battle."

The older teen's eyes snapped wide open and Aiko jumped. "Say what?"

"Kouji, wait!" Kouichi called in warning, carefully pulling Takuya up to his knees along with him. "We can't fight here, not now! Kanbara-kun…"

"They're targeting him, Nii-san." Kouji muttered back. "The School's after him, and that could only be for one reason. If that's the case, he's going to need to learn this eventually. It's better he see it first-hand before we try to explain it."

Aiko let out a scoff that really sounded more like a squeak in her high-pitched voice. "Why would _you_ need to explain it?"

Kouji's right ear twitched on its own, heralding a light, coy smirk that slid onto his face. "Because he's not going, of course. Especially if you're too scared to accept a simple battle."

"Why you little…"

"Aiko!" Hiro snapped, and the girl winced a bit. "Keep your head. We're not running away. Accept the match…with a requirement."

Aiko's eyes lit up. "Requirement?"

"Yeah. _When_ we when," Kouji scoffed at the older boy's arrogance, "we're not just taking _him_. We'll bring _these_ two to the school where they belong, and boost our rank to boot.":

Kouichi bit his lip lightly at the suggestion, but Kouji's face was still confident. "Bring it on."

"With pleasure." Aiko grinned broadly, her ears standing straight up in eager anticipation. "I **accept!"**

There was a sudden blast of unknown, unfamiliar power, and the air around them changed. Takuya, slowly coming back to his senses, started slightly. "What the…What's going on?"

Kouichi glanced at him sheepishly and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Kanbara-kun. We'll…explain later."

"Explain?" Takuya shook his head, trying to rid himself of the foggy haze that had fallen over his mind. "Explain…what?"

"Engage Systems." Kouji snapped, his eyes still focused on the pain in front of him. "We'll be on automatic."

"Fine with me." Aiko smirked, yanking her sleeve away from her hand. For a split second, Takuya caught a glimpse of a strange scar scrawled across her palm - it looked like a word…before she thrust her hand back at the older boy. "Hiro!"

Said boy smirked, reaching out to grab ahold as well. As their fingers folded over each other, their power seemed to increase, and the energy they were radiating grew brighter…stronger…

"Here it comes." Kouji licked his lips.

"Kouji." Kouichi caught the other's wrist, drawing the young brother's eyes down again. "Be careful. Please?"

Again, when he gazed on his brother, Kouji's eyes softened noticeably. "Don't worry, Nii-san." He whispered gently. "I'm not going to lose."

"Say it while you can." Aiko smirked, crouching back on her heels and curling her fingers around her palms like a kitten ready for attack. "Our name, the name we share, is 'Thoughtless'. Without thought, without pause, we will blast your minds into oblivion!"

The energy they had been building up suddenly blasted out, curving around behind Takuya and the twins to form a something like boundaries, almost a cage of energy blocking whatever chances they had for escape. The brown-haired boy instinctively drew away from the strange power, to which Kouichi put a kind hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Kanbara-kun." He soothed, giving the boy a kind smile. "Everything's going to be all right."

"What…" Takuya gasped a bit, his eyes wide. "What's going…What are…"

"**Rip!"** Aiko shouted, her voice laced with power once more. "**Rip! Tear! Crush them!"**

The energy pulsed. Kouji slid back, apparently on instinct, and barked a single word, covered with the same power. "**Defense!"**

Seconds later, forked tongues of red energy blasted from Aiko's side of the field, only to be blocked by a blue-white field of energy that surrounded the twins.

"Damn." Hiro cursed under his breath. "He's fast."

"Our turn." Kouji smirked lightly, flexing his fingers before curling them into fists. "**Shadows, rise up. Cover all. Hide all."**

Hiro snapped his head up as the darkness began to creep forward. "Aiko, respond!"

"**Fire!"** The girl shouted. "**Burn through the shroud!"**

Flames burst to life, colliding with the cloth of shadow. The light from the blasé banished the darkness almost instantly, flashing sparks across the blue-black background of the night. Kouji did not wince back, as Aiko had done during their retaliation - actually, he seemed to almost have been expecting it.

"Brace yourself, Nii-san "

Takuya's eyes widened. "For what?"

"**Rise, Flame!"** Aiko intoned grandly, swiping her hand upward to guide the blaze's path. "**Grow strong! Consume them! Blaze that binds!"**

The fire flashed forward, shooting through the air. Kouji didn't have time to utter the words to defend himself. As the fire struck. Great tongues of flame swirled up across his arms and neck, leaving mild red burns…

And past him to loop around Kouichi's wrists and neck in nooses of flame. The older twin winced and grit his teeth, pulling his hands into his chest as the fire dispersed to reveal heavy metal and a thick leather collar, pulled tight together with rough chains.

Kouji turned back, concerned, as though he hadn't been expected the ferocity of the attack. "Nii-san?"

"I-I'm all right." Kouichi forced a grin onto his face, pushing one eye open. "I can handle it. I'm all right, Kouji, keep going…"

Takuya, now worried, reached for the cuffs. "What are…"

"Don't touch them!" Kouichi snapped, and the other yanked his hand back. The elder twin's face softened a bit. "They're…hot. I don't want you to be hurt, Kanbara-kun."

"Me?" Takuya exclaimed, jolting straight upright. "What about you? You're the one who's all…"

"I can bear it." Kouichi smiled a less pained smile, and Takuya couldn't help but notice that he was moving as little as possible. "I'm…very tolerant of pain, Kanbara-kun."

Kouji nodded at this, no longer uneasy, but full of a kind of righteous determination, and turned back to their enemies. "We'll balance this, Nii-san. I'll make sure of that!"

He lifted a hand, stretching out his fingers to their full extent. Hiro moved back as an instinctive reaction. "Aiko, get ready to defend! He's about to cast!"

"R-Right!" The girl stiffened. "**Defen-"**

"**Flame's light."** Kouji interrupted her all of easily, cutting the girl's incantation short. "**Rise alone. Fill everything with light, heat. Cover all."**

The flickering light burst to life, independent of the fire it had originally radiated from, pulsing and flashing in a painful manner. Aiko, unable to voice her defense in time, drew back from its brightness, with a pained whimper. Behind her, Hiro grit his teeth and clenched his fists as cuffs and a collar materialized on his body as well.

"Hiro!" Aiko gasped, spinning on Kouji angrily. "You…I aughta…"

"Aiko, calm down!" Hiro snapped, his voice ringing slightly. "Focus, or he'll get you distracted!"

The girl took a deep breath, closing her eyes and focusing. "**Release…"**

"**Deny." **Kouji snapped, and the girl hissed. "**Solidify, hold fast. Remain."**

Hiro grunted a bit - apparently, the bonds had tightened. "Forget it, Aiko, I can handle this. Crush him now!"

"Right!" Aiko gasped, whirling around. "**Burn! Rise, flame, and incinerate them!"**

The fire burst to life as though gasoline had been dumped into it. The flames shot higher than Kouji was tall, but for some reason, the boy didn't even flinch. His cool blue eyes traced the path of the flames, ears twitching restlessly, until…

"**Sheild. Come, shadow, form a shield against the blaze."**

The dark shadows cast in the wake of the blaze squirmed and came to life, hopping up in full three dimensions to form a thick shell around the twins and Takuya, thicker even than the one from the beginning of the battle. The tower of flames collided with it head-on, but the shadows held firm, holding the heat a safe distance away.

Aiko shrieked. "What the, what the…?"

"Aiko…" Hiro gasped, but his words also came too late.

"**Combine."** Kouji's voice grew in power as he reached back, grabbing hold of his brother's hand. "**Darkness and Light, bind together. Balance each other and unbalance them. Com_bine_!"**

The light and the darkness grew respectively brighter and deeper simultaneously. Light began to rain down on them from above as the darkness bubbled up under their feet. There was no time to defend. Aiko screamed. Hiro howled.

And Thoughtless lost the battle.

Takuya didn't understand any of this. His hand was spinning, his vision swmming, and all he could see was light and darkness spiraling around with the sound of fire and crashing air…

"What…What are you people?"

"We are everyone." Thought Kouji's voice no longer held the same power as the spells, something in the way his eyes focused on Takuya - and only Takuya - somehow emphasized the cold, dark tone of his voice. "We are what everyone has potential to be, if they could find each other."

And the last thing Takuya heard before he blacked out was Kouichi's amused little giggle. "You just like confusing him, don't you, Kouji?"

"Shut up…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The first thing that Takuya noticed when he woke up was a blinding, painful white light. His mind immediately registered it as an attack, and he had shot out of bed and across the room before he realized that it was just the squeaky-clean gleam of the school nurse's office.

Said nurse stuck her head in to check on the commotion and grinned. "Well now, you're up. That's good to see."

"What…" Takuya blinked around blurrily. "What am I doing here?"

"Your classmates who brought you in said you passed out." The nurse crossed to him and pressed a hand against his forehead, finding no fever. "Overexcited, I suppose. Been out for 'bout an hour."

"An hour?" Takuya exclaimed, when something else registered in his mind, rather belatedly. "Wait…which classmate?"

"Classmate_s,_ dear." The nurse smiled coyly, making her way out the door, presumably to get some forms for him to fill out. "New students, I believe, the cutest little pair of twins."

Takuya, still trying to register everything that had happened, automatically slid into a more relaxed stance of slipping his hands into his pockets. His right hand almost instantly folded around something folded and smooth. A note.

He yanked it out and unfolded it as quickly as he could. His eyes scanned over the unfamiliar writing with slight disbelief…he'd been so sure it was just a dream…

"_Kanbara-kun,_

_I appologize for what has happened, but there was not time for explinations without causing suspicion because of missing classes. If you would please stop by our apartment tonight after school, we will be happy to explain everything. The address is enclosed._

_Please make an effort to come this evening. I believe that we have information that would be very important for you to know._

_Sincerely,_

_Kimura Kouichi_

Takuya stared at the note for a long time. Then he turned it over and discovered one more sentence:

_P.S. - Please do not worry about Thoughtless. They have been sent home safely._

Takuya's ears twitched. Sent home? That was all that had happened to those guys after they'd attacked him? He'd been so sure that something else had happened…there was so much screaming and energy and…

And…

And _why_ did he have to go to their house to get the answers? Hadn't he dealt with those freaky twins enough today?

He groaned, crumpled up the note, and fell back onto the cot-bed again, deciding that there were times when his life could really…_really_…suck. He rolled over and buried his head in the tiny pillow, hoping that maybe, just maybe, his dreams could make a bit more sense out of this before he tried to get the answers.

_**TBC…**_

Magical battles are woven with words, which act as smells. In case you couldn't figure out, the **bold letters **are the spells, written in a different manner just as they are in the Manga. The twins will explain everything is in the next chapter, for those of you who don't already know the basics of how it works. And I have no idea what the difference is between 'automatic' and any of the other versions, which I've never seen.

Also explained in the next chapter will be the basics of the Sacrifice/Fighter relationship…


	4. Fighter Unit

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both, and this scene is driving me crazy…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 3: Fighter Unit**

Takuya sighed, looking up at the flat gold number set into the plain white door at the end of the plain white hallway of plain white doors. He checked the number, then the paper in his hand, and then the simple brown nameplate to make sure everything was in order. It was - the building was on the right corner, the number was 22, the name was 'Minamoto'. This was the place.

He hesitated a moment longer, listening cautiously. He could hear a boiling liquid, some soft splashing, and someone humming a recent pop song that he vaguely recognized - Kouichi, he figured, because it was a distinctly male tenor and he just couldn't imagine Kouji humming. Everything sounded reasonably normal…

He finally screwed up his courage and knocked on the door loudly. From inside, he heard a strangled yelp of surprise, followed by the shuffling of slippered feet and the scraping of a lock turning out of place.

Seconds later, the door opened, revealing Kouichi Kimura…who was wearing a blue apron with small black kittens chasing white-and-red balls across the collar and base. Underneath, his long sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, exposing several layers of white gauze bandages that had been wrapped around his wrists, a matching on poking out from his high collar.

Takuya was surprised a the wounds, but before he could even open his mouth to ask, the other boy cut him off. "Kanbara-kun! I'm glad you decided to come."

"Y-Yeah,.." Takuya shrugged rather helplessly, his ears twitching a bit. "Good to see you, too…Kimura…"

The dark-haired boy smiled and stepped back to hold the door open for him. Takuya took the silent invitation, toeing off his shoes in the entryway. As he bent to set them on the little shelf specified for such things, he realized that there was only one other pair of shoes beside his own. "Minamoto's not here?"

"Not at the moment." Kouichi shook his head, moving back to the kitchenette with the wooden spoon lightly raised in his hand. "He went to the convenience store down the street. We ran out of the soda he likes to have with dinner. He'll be back soon."

"I see…" Takuya took it upon himself to investigate this new environment, so he slipped his hands behind his back and began to wander subtly, his tail swishing back and forth as he did.

It was a relatively small studio apartment, nothing extremely impressive, but somehow very cozy. The front, after the small entryway, was taken up by the kitchenette and a living room set, which had only a couch, a small armchair, and a table just high enough that someone sitting on either seat could have leaned over it. A small hallway stretched into the back, with two doors set in opposite walls towards the end. He wandered down to find a plain water closet with a toilet and sink, but not back. Takuya turned his head to peer into the other room, the bedroom, and stared.

"Hey, Kimura?"

"Yes?"

"Do you guys…share a bed?"

"Oh, yes." Kouichi smiled to himself, stirring the brown sauce of his curry. "It was much cheaper than getting two. It's a queen, plenty big enough for two, and it really cuts down on the heating bills in the winter."

"Heating…bills?" Takuya thought for a second and conjured up the image of the twins cuddling a little _too_ intimately. He shook his head, and his thought shot away. "What about your parents?"

A sad sort of smile slid over Kouichi's face as he stirred the curry again. "Our father and Satomi-san are working abroad at the moment. The deposits that they make into our account every month pay for then rent and other bills."

"Who's Satomi?" Takuya blinked, his ears twitching in curiosity.

"His wife."

"Your stepmother?"

Another sad smile. "You could say that."

"What about your mother?"

This time, Kouichi stopped moving altogether. His hand hovered over the soup spoon in a hesitant manner, and he didn't look at Takuya as he spoke. "She…passed away. A few years ago, actually."

Takuya's ears dropped to press against his head guiltily. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." The older twin turned back with a light smile, this one more honestly happy. "You couldn't have known."

Takuya's tail swished back and forth restlessly as his curiosity and courtesy debated with each other furiously. "Kimura…"

"I'm home."

Takuya nearly fell over at the sudden voice, but regained his composure as Kouji Minamoto entered with a plastic bag in his right hand.

"Kouji," the older brother smiled, wiping his hands on a towel. "Welcome home."

Kouji grunted in an affectionate manner and turned a mild glare on Takuya. "So you're here."

The brunette bristled defensively. "I was invited."

"I know." Kouji's scowl deepened. "But not be me."

"Kouji," Kouichi warned in a low tone, "be nice."

The younger boy scowled, but gave a submissive little shrug and moved into the living room. He pulled out the drinks - a plain cola, a mango soda, and a bottle of water - and set them on the table, following it up with some plastic spoons and cheap chopsticks made of plywood. It wasn't until he took out the napkins that Takuya realized that he was setting the table for dinner…for three.

"Is something wrong, Kanbara-kun?" Kouichi asked kindly, turning off the burner.

Takuya shook himself, stuttering a bit. "I d-don't want to…"

"Impose? Don't worry." Kouichi smiled brightly. "I made more that enough for three, and this will be much easier to digest with a bit of warm food."

Takuya groaned inwardly. No getting away now. Kouichi turned away from him, pulling out three round, deep plates and beginning to heap on rice and curry. "You…need some help?"

"Oh, no." Kouichi smiled again, ladling out a generous amount of curry onto each dish. "Sit down, please, I'll be there in just a second."

Takuya hesitated a moment longer, then shuffled into the other room. Kouji was already sitting on the couch with the cola in front of him, the mango soda to his right. From the water and the glare, Takuya took the hint and sat in the arm chair.

The two boys glared at each other in silence, ears back, tails twitching. Neither one moved, their fur standing on end as they held their places, silently spewing insults with their eyes.

"_Stuck-up jerk…"_

_"Lazy, clumsy moron…"_

"All right then." Kouichi's voice seemed unnatural bright when refracted through their mutual annoyance. He came around the corner holding three plates: two in hand, one balanced on his wrist. "All done."

"Nii-san!" Kouji jumped to his feet, looking and sounding horrified. "Don't _do_ that! You'll hurt yourself!"

Kouichi was so startled by his brother's outcry that he nearly dropped the food. The steaming curry hissed as it splashed, and Takuya realized that a great deal of messy heat was sitting right on top of Kouichi's bandages.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Kouji." The elder twin sighed as his brother seized the hot plats. "Is that what you're worried about? They aren't _that_ hot."

Kouji frowned disapprovingly. "You've already been burned once."

"Burned?" Takuya blinked a bit in confusion.

Kouichi grinned at him awkwardly and shrugged. "The cuffs were…very hot, Kanbara-kun."

Takuya stared at the bandages for a moment, stuttering. "H-How bad…?"

"They're only second-degree."

"_Second?"_

Kouichi's soft smiled never faded. "I did tell you that I'm very tolerant of pain."

The disbelieving words died on Takuya's lips, mostly because Kouji was glaring at him in sullen warning. The plates were set down and the boys sat as well, in their respective seats. A quiet blessing was given, and the twins started to eat, but Takuya did not. Everything felt so…normal…that he couldn't stand it.

"What the hell is going on?"

Kouichi looked up from his curry. "What do you mean, Kanbara-kun?"

"Everything!" The brunette groaned. "You two…those two…and that fight…thing! What the heck was up with that?"

Kouichi set down his spoon and reached out with a polite, sympathetic tone. "I know that this must be very confusing, Kanbara-kun."

"Confusing!" Takuya exclaimed. "I feel like I'm loosing my mind! What were you _doing_ back there?"

"Magic."

Takuya stared. Kouji's one word had been simple and plain, without a hint of humor, and his face mirrored the same as he mixed his rice into his curry. Kouichi had not moved, obviously waiting for Takuya to replay. The brunette could not think that what they had said was serious…but at the same time, it just couldn't be a joke.

"…Magic?"

"Magic."

Takuya put his spoon down. "Like, real magic?"

"Real magic."

Takuya licked his dry lips, willing his heart to slow down. "_How?"_

"It isn't hard." Kouichi explained slowly, taking a meditative sip of his mango soda. "It's all about energy, in the end. Two separate energies linked by their Name, two souls working together…it all sounds very metaphysical, but in the end, anyone can do it."

Takuya couldn't help it. His jaw went lightly slack. "Do what?"

"Magic." Kouichi repeated is brother's word, taking another sip. "If that's what you want to call it."

Takuya scratched his head. "Like that fight?"

"Yes, exactly."

A bit more time to contemplate this, then: "And anyone can do it?"

"Anyone can do it," Kouichi nodded again, and his smile widened a bit. "There are certain restrictions, of course. No one can do it if they're completely alone."

Takuya leaned forward, his interested perked along with his ears, focusing intently on the other boys. "Why not?"

"It's just not possible." Kouichi set down his soda, his tail swishing back and forth contently. "The magic is created by the union between two souls. It depends on when your souls…and Names…match."

Twitch twitch. "Names?"

"He sounds like a parrot…"

"Kouji, be nice." Kouichi elbowed his brother lightly and turned back to their guest. "Yes, Kanbara-kun, names. It's a very basic principle, but no one can really understand the details. All we really know is that every soul has a name, and everyone has a soul. I guess you could call it your 'True Name'. I think I've heard it called that before…"

Takuya blinked several times. "What kind of name?"

"Not the usual kind." Kouichi allowed quietly. "They don't really have an identifying purpose, and not many people know about them, and no one never knows their own Name until someone tells them. But they don't really have to _do_ any of that…"

He fell quiet, thinking over his own riddles, stirring his curry in a distracted manner. He was quiet for so long that Takuya started to get a bit annoyed.

"So what _do_ they do?"

"Pardon?" Kouichi came out of his thoughts with polite confusion.

"Those 'names'." Takuya spelled out slowly. "What are they for? What do they do?"

Takuya did not understand. "Say what?"

"The Names connect the souls." Kouichi continued, looking as though he was having trouble putting this information into the vernacular. "What I mean is…somewhere in the world, there is a person who shares the same 'True Name' as you, and the fact that you share a Name links you with that person. It's a thing of destiny, really."

Takuya scratched his hear behind his right ear, his normal reactions when he had been confused more than he could really take. "And what does this have to do with magic-fights?"

"Oh, yes." Kouichi shook his head, giving off the feeling that he had forgotten what they were talking about. "Everyone has the inherit ability to use their own power, but it only really wakes up when you meet the one who shares your Name. When two people with the same Name access that power together, they form a Unit and are able to battle with other Units, as you saw yesterday."

Takuya's ears pressed back suspiciously. "So you two are a 'Unit'?"

"Yes." Kouichi nodded and reached to hold Kouji's hand in an affection manner.

"And you share a 'Name'?"

"That's right."

"And you can cast spells and fight with other Units just because you're with each other?"

Kouichi gave him a slight shrug. "Well, there are some small details that makes the bond more prominent…"

"Like what?"

Kouji, muffling a light growl of annoyance (he was growing steadily more and more annoyed in his silence, obviously irritated by all of the questions) pulled his hand from his brother's grip and yanked up the collar of his jacket to pull it down around his elbows. "Like _this_."

He brought his now-exposed right shoulder around where Takuya could see it. The other boy jerked back, his auburn-brown hair and fur bristling up.

Spread out across the pale flesh of Kouji's arm was a long, dark scar…No, not just one. There were many. Dozens of thin, jagged scars crisscrossed over each other in a chaotic sort of pattern that looked as though it had been carved by a razor blade. Takuya was so shocked by the sight that it took him several minutes to realized that the gruesome marks spelled out a single, simple word: _BALANCE_.

"What the…What the hell?"

Kouji's scowl remained firmly in place. "Our Name."

The brunette still couldn't quite remember how to speak. "B-But…how come…"

"Kanbara-kun." Kouichi's voice was soft as he reached out to touch his brother's scar in a guilty manner, pulling the other's arm back. "This…is part of our bond. Our promise. To each other."

Takuya felt kind of sick now. "Is that…is that kind of stuff required?"

"Not always. But it strengthens the bond." Kouichi's voice dropped down. "And this way, neither of us can form a Unit with anyone else. We are a team, for as long as possible."

"And how long is that?" Takuya's inner cynic burst out before he could stop it.

Kouji glared and gripped the hand over his scar. "Until I'm dead."

For some reason, the tone in his voice made an icy-cold shiver run down Takuya's spine, and they lapsed into an awkward silence that stretched past the end of the meal. It wasn't broken until Kouichi had gathered up the plates and was quietly washing them in the kitchen.

Takuya wandered over and leaned against the counter casually. "So…that's it?"

"Hm?" Kouichi glanced up. "Oh, yes. I believe that's all there is."

"So…where do I fit into this?"

Kouichi was quiet for a very long time, then sighed. "I'm afraid we don't know that, Kanbara-kun. It's too soon to know that. All we know is that the School is after you…"

"The School?"

Kouichi shuddered visibly, and from the living room, Kouji's eyes snapped to their conversation. "It's a horrible place." The elder twin shuddered, his hands tense, even. "It's a conditioning and training center for Units, especial for Fighters…they beat them down into submission, and encourage their partners to treat them like slaves, sometimes like they aren't even human…"

Takuya's eyes widened. "Have you…been there?"

"Hell no." Kouji sneered, and Takuya jumped.

Almost more surprisingly (and certainly summoning a great deal more guilt) Kouichi's face, tail and ears fell into a sad, distant expression. "Our mother…died…to keep us out of there."

Takuya's curiosity instantly vanished. "Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh.'" Kouji growled a bit, gripped Takuya's shoulder tightly. "So shut it."

The brunette didn't really need to be told, so he shut up.

Kouichi came over to him, whispering softly that it was quite all right, Takuya couldn't have known, and that they would have a time to explain it better at a later date, but for now it was getting very late, and Takuya's mother must be worried, so shouldn't he be getting home now…?

"Uh, yeah…" Takuya agreed awkwardly as he moved for the door. His head was still buzzing with questions, but at the same time, he felt like any more information would make his head explode. "I guess I'll just be going, then. Thanks for the food."

"Be careful." Kouichi warned, in a tone that felt almost motherly, as strange as that sounded coming from a young boy. "We'll see you at school, right?"

Takuya shook his head again to clear his thoughts. "Yeah…school."

Kouichi smiled again, pausing in the doorway, and bowed. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah…tomorrow."

The door closed behind him. Takuya stood there a moment, staring at the blank whiteness and the shiny golden number. Then he sighed and shuffled off towards home, his mind filled with thoughts of magic, battles and a demonic School lurking in the shadows.

The last thought of that nature that flitted over his mind was wondering if whoever it was who shared his Name would be cute…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

The moment he'd closed and locked the door, Kouichi jumped a bit as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

A second later, he let out a sigh and lowered his hands to rest on the other's wrists. "Kouji, what are you doing?"

"I hate not being able to hold you." The younger brother mumbled, his mouth pressed into the other's shoulder. "You know that."

"I know."

They stood there a moment, enjoying the contact they shared, their bodies pressed together in a warm, comforting embrace. After a moment, Kouji lifted his head and nuzzled against his brother's neck, a pretense for moving his mouth closer to the other's ear. "Why did you invite that idiot into our house?"

"He's not an idiot." Kouichi scolded lightly, leaning his head back to look at his brother. "Kanbara-kun is very smart, and you know it."

"He has no common sense at all." Kouji muttered, stepping back and pulling his twin with him as they moved, backwards, into the apartment. "Anyone with half a brain would have thought we might be after him, too, and not show up."

"That doesn't prove he's stupid." Kouichi reasoned with a cool smile on his face, carefully judging their surroundings. "That just means that he's brave."

A quick jerk from the older twin took his brother by surprise and sent them both tumbling down to the couch. Kouichi landed on his brother's lap, rolled over, and crossed his arms over the other's chest to pillow his head on.

"You said it yourself, Kouji." He whispered, leaning very close. "The School is after him. We can't just let them take him from his family, you know that."

"Yeah, I know." Kouji mumbled and frowned, leaning up to touch the tips of their noses together softly. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Kouichi smiled. "All right. I'll agree to that."

"Good. Now let's get some dessert."

_**TBC…**_


	5. Rumors

Okay, I'm currently at school, and my last period ends in ten minutes, so I need to do this quick. I'm staying late tonight to work on the school paper, but I figured I'd type this up and send it off as long as it was done. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both, and this scene is driving me crazy…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 4: Rumors**

"Minamoto-kun, what on earth are you doing?"

Takuya groaned a bit and lifted his head, turning to see exactly what had Kanone-sensei so ruffled. Kouji was glaring up at the adult defiantly, his body language a clear indicator that hell or high water would not make him move. This was important, because he had pushed his desk far over into the aisle to meet with Kouichi's. The two tables were pressed together so tightly that the twins' chairs met as well, and the boys were leaning against each other. In contrast to his brother's gruff expression, Kouichi looked very hesitant about this situation, his ear pressed against his head.

"I don't have any books." Kouji muttered sullenly, keeping his tone carefully even as he spoke.

Sensei looked rather flustered. "And why not?"

"It cost too much to buy two sets." Kouichi said quietly, dropping his eyes down in a sad, submissive manner. "We couldn't afford it."

The teacher hesitated a moment, not expecting that sort of reaction from the meeker of the two twins. Then he sighed. "All right, fine. Share if you need to."

He turned away, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in consternation. Takuya let out a sigh and sank over the comic book that he was concealing behind his textbook. It had been three days since the attack, and since then, nothing strange had happened. Nothing anything magical, at least, since he and his classmates couldn't help but become gradually aware of the twins' oddly…close…relationship.

The girl figured that their odd habits –walking to school hand in hand, refusing contact with everyone in class, feeding each other lung, etc. – as just a sort 'twin thing' and continued with their adoration of the handsome faces. But the boys, partially out of jealousy and partially because of the pure mean-spiritedness which runs rampant in mobs of teenage boys, had actively begun creating and cultivating various rumors.

"You know what I hear?" Takuya's teammate on the soccer team, Matsuda, whispered in a hushed voice over lunch. "I hear they're on their own 'cause their parents got busted for selling drugs."

"Yeah, and those aren't even their real names they're using," added Aikawa. "They're in the witness protection program."

"I heard their dad kicked them out of the house 'cause they're gay."

"I heard it was 'cause they're gay _together_."

"I bet those ears are fake. Give 'em a good tug and they'll come right off."

"I heard a teacher at their last school caught them making out."

"I heard she caught them doing it!"

"I heard…"

"I heard…"

Takuya lost the initial push of his appetite in disgust. This was getting majorly out of control, worse and worse with every retelling. That the members of his own soccer team would be spreading lies like this around…it was sickening.

"Cut it out, you guys. They're not like that."

The group all turned to stare at him, and Takuya winced. The expressions on their faces were absolutely murderous. "And how would you know?"

"I just do." Takuya snapped back. "I've talked to them. They aren't like that."

Matsuda, apparently taking personal offense at Takuya's ascertain, drew himself up in a pompous manner. "If you're so sure, why don't you go sit with _them,_ then?"

He jabbed his thumb at the twins, who were sitting at the other end of the schoolyard, against the back fence. Takuya, with his own pride now on the line as well as two relatively innocent reputations, snatched up his food and stood. "Fine, I will!"

He stepped around his little group of friends, pointedly ignoring the weight of their stares on his back. Keeping his eyes firmly on his destination, he slowed a bit as he got closer, especially as the twins lifted their heads to look at him. "Hey. Mind if I sit with you?"

Kouji narrowed his eyes, but Kouichi smiled brightly. "Of course not, Kanbara-kun. Have a seat."

Takuya sank to the ground and spread out his store-bought goodies – three packaged bento boxes, two large sweet buns, a big bag of chips, can of soda and a box of Pocky. It looked like the midnight hodgepodge of a pregnant woman, especially in comparison with the twins' neat rows of homemade rice balls, still light warm and sticky from their morning in respective backpacks. Takuya had to admit, they were certainly more attractive looking than his overly-moist buns, and he had to admire the obvious skill. Kouichi's work, no doubt.

As though taunting his thoughts, Kouji reached for a tasty-looking onigiri (umiboshi style) and took and extra-large bite, which he chewed before bring himself to speak. "What's the matter? Your friends kick you out?"

"Nah, I wanted to come." Takuya laughed, still ignoring the stares bearing down on his back.

"Of course you did." Kouji rolled his eyes sarcastically and bit into the little sugared plum set into the back of his rice ball. "You just _felt_ like getting away from your little group of rumormongers…"

"Kouji, don't be rude." Kouichi admonished. Somehow, his soft, forgiving tone struck Takuya harder then Kouji's harsh words, especially as the echoes of his teammates' stories came back to him. They didn't even _know_ the twins, didn't know how sweet Kouichi could be, how strongly Kouji could stand against their troubles, how loyal they were to each other, so much closer than most…

Takuya sighed out loud, his spirit falling with his depressing thoughts. "How do you guys put up with it?"

"With what? The rumors?" Kouichi laughed a bit., "Please don't worry about it, Kanbara-kun. We've heard worse."

Takuya's ears twitched. "Worse?" Worse than supposedly having sex with each other…?

"Oh, yes," Kouichi's grin spread a bit as he glanced to Kouji. "People can be very creative, when spurned by jealousy. We've been everything from murders and thugs to transvestites and drug dealers on the lam."

"They always think that the ears are fake." Kouji mumbled, licking his fingers to get the last pieces of rice.

"Oh yes, every time."

Takuya's ears pressed tightly against his head, his tail twitching awkwardly. "And…are they?"

The twins laughed again. Kouichi leaned forward, offering up his ear brightly. "Want to give it a tug and find out?"

Takuya winced. "Wouldn't that hurt?"

"Yes, it would." Kouichi smiled and his ears twitched brightly. "I'm glad you would think so."

Takuya sighed with relief, berating himself internally for being so stupid. They were only thirteen, _nobody_ their age had lost their ears yet. It was _far_ too early for that sort of thing…

The bell rang and with a jolt, Takuya realized that lunch was over, and his food was only half-finished. Then the twins were laughing again, this time because Takuya had descended on the remaining food like a rabid animal, shoving it down his throat so quickly that he had to be pounded on the back to keep from choking on his bento.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Hey Hiro? Are we in trouble?"

The boy looked down at his much shorted partner, sighing. His neck was wrapped in a thick bandage, the skin beneath it heavily abraded by the rough collar and chains that had consumed him during their fight with Balance. Aiko felt guilty about this. He could tell because her ears were pressed tightly against her head, and she was reluctant to get near or touch him.

He reached out and patted her head gently, lovingly. "No. I talked to Sensei. She isn't mad at us."

"Then how come we have to walk home?" Aiko scowled at her high-tops as they thumped along the sidewalk. The soles were starting to wear out after they'd been walking all day.

Hiro took a moment to find just the right word. "It's…training. Conditioning. We'll get stronger this way."

"We're being punished…"

"Don't be so negative." Hiro mussed the girl's already messy hair. "We'll get 'em next time. They're just a couple of brats, so with a bit of extra training, we'll have them crying in now time. And the next time we meet…"

"There isn't going to be a 'next time' for you darlings."

Thoughtless jumped a foot as one and lifted their heads to the people facing them. Both pairs of ears pressed down shyly as their bodies curled away from the new pair, both older, thin, female and earless. The suppressed energy of the Fighter Unit flickered to life with practiced control, the force behind it making Aiko whimper and hide behind Hiro.

"You dears have been taken off this assignment, following your failure." The Sacrifice smirked lightly, her perfect teeth gleaming in the setting sun. "Sensei says to report to her directly. Unforseen circumstances are not an exuse."

Hiro lowered his head in respect. "Yes, sempai. Thank you."

HE grabbed Aiko's hand and pulled her past the older pair, both keeping their eyes trained firmly on the ground. The Fighter Unit wore a confident smirk as she watched them go, pushing green sunglasses up her nose.

"Y;know, Sui, Ah think the little darlings are scared of us."

Her sacrifice's smirk widened, sliding silver-ringed hand into her pockets and leaning closer as they continued on. "Really? Well, I wonder what would have made them feel like that…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Takuya was definitely not a chef.

Looking around at the tremendous mess he had made of the kitchen, that felt painfully obvious. It was emphasized as he stared dejectedly at the sloppy, soggy, under-done rice balls melting unappetizingly on his counter like badly-made soap.

The boy sighed somewhat wistfully and threw his pathetic attempt away. After accidentally inhaling one of Kouichi's rice balls at lunch (the elder twin had slipped it into his pile of food without his notice) he had quickly discovered them to be the singular most delicious onigiri that he'd ever consumed. Begging for the recipe had ensued on the way to class and the sports-related absence of his parents and younger brother had seemed to open the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.

And now he had a disaster zone on his hands. Sigh.

"It must be magic." He decided firmly, stating the fact aloud to cement it into reality. "Kimura uses magic to make food, that's got to be it…"

Magic…

He paused a moment, his mind slowing to a sluggish stop. It took him a while to remember, every time, that the twins really _could _do magic, real magic…couldn't they? It'd been three days and nothing odd had happened. The teacher hadn't even noticed Kouichi's bandages, though the pair were exceptionally good at hiding them, and none of the rumors had even thought of mentioning magic or battles…

Takuya's world was starting to take on the fuzzy, indistinct feel of a dream. Two classmates – boys! His own age! – had a power that he'd never imagined possible, a 'magic' that belonged in fantasy novels or manga. And even the people he knew, his old friends, seemed to be changing right before his eyes – the _looks_ they had given him after sitting with the brothers, the rumors they had spread! He'd never thought that these boys, his neighbors and friends whom he had grown up with, could behave that way. They were almost like animals…

He sighed, blowing his bangs up, and went back to scrubbing sticky goop from the discarded pan. All of this thinking wasn't going to do anything but give him a headache…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Found it."

Suigin paused on the sidewalk, lifting the silver-metal sunglasses from her clear, almost translucent blue eyes. She brushed a long lock of silvery white hair away from her face and over her shoulder to fall straight to her waist, right past her shimmery green button-down shirt (the top two buttons tastefully undone to give a peak of a plain white sports bra) to her forest-green jeans, which flared slightly over grey boots. Reflective silver disks dangled from her ears and simple silver chains decorated each wrist, with silver rings on both pointer and ring fingers.

"You're absolutely certain that this is his home?" She asked coolly, her chilly voice burning like quicksilver. "We don't have time for any mistakes, Yu."

"Ah know that." The smaller girl pouted her lips, strangely illuminated by blue-green lipstick, especially as the green-tinted sunglasses slid down her nose to reveal aquamarine eyes, framed by green-blue eyeshadow. "This is the address 'at sensei gave us. Ah ain't so scatterbrained that Ah'd forget that, Sui-chan!"

The Sacrifice turned to her Fighter Unit with a chilled smile, one that only her long-time partner could interpret as approval. Yu was only slightly younger than Suigin, the equivalent of a junior in high school. She was short for her age, with a cute bob of aqua-blue high tied up into a high ponytail. She wore a dark blue windbreaker, half-zipped over an aquamarine T-Shirt with a knee-length blue jean skirt and bright blue stockings with navy blue boots. She wore a large blue stone on a silver robe around her neck, with matching round studs in her ears. An aquamarine swim suit poked out from the collar of her shirt.

"All right, then." Suijin slipped her sunglasses back on. "Is our little friend home?"

"Ah should think so." Yu grinned broadly. "An' Ah don't think anybody else is around, neither."

Her partner's cool smile extended easily. "Good. Let's pay him a visit, shall we?"

Yu giggled and stepped forward to advance up the walk, but before she had gotten three steps, a pebble flew from the darkness and stuck her in the forehead. "Ow!"

"Who's there?" Suigin demanded, twisting around. "Show yourself!"

A mild tenor voice, obviously male, chuckled just a little. Two figures stepped forward into the light of the street lamp, revealing identical faces bearing almost-identical expressions of confidence and determination.

Suigin scowled. "Balance."

"Get lost!" Yu shouted at the twins, gritting her teeth in annoyance. "This is our job! It ain't nothin' to do with you."

Kouji sighed, shaking his head. "All you school units sound the same."

Suigin ignored him, stepping forward to address the other pair's Sacrifice. "Children should not be playing after dark." She smirked at the boy's cute ears, tossing her hair back to enunciate her lack of said appendages. "Go home and the School will leave you be. You aren't our target."

Kouichi's serious gaze never wavered. "This isn't about us. This is about Kanbara-kun."

Suigin smirked. "Oh?"

"Kanbara-kun has a place in this world, in his town. He has a home and a family." Kouichi's voice wavered on the last word, but he pressed on. "He has friends and a place to be known. He doesn't need the School to find his partner for him. He has a _life_. You won't take him from that, not as long as we're here."

For a moment, there was silence. Then Suigin started laughing, and Yu Joined in. Kouji scowled and called them a word that Kouichi elbowed him for, which made them laugh more.

"How quaint." Suigin chuckled, rubbing a light tear from her eye. "Such an innocence, truly befitting a child. How delightful!"

Kouji's scowl deepened. "Shut up!"

"Silly boy." Yu hopped forward. "Yeh can't order us around. Yeh don't even know what's goin' on."

"You have no idea." Suigin agreed, calming back into her mild grin. "You have no idea what kind of power could be unlocked from that boy. You have no idea what a powerful weapon he really is!"

"He said shut _up_!"

The women fell silent, and Suigin lifted a curious eyebrow. The twins' sacrifice was trembling with rage, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes sharp with disgust.

"Kanbara-kun is _not_ a _thing_." He hissed, bristling like and offended cat. "He isn't a weapon, and he's not a tool. He's _human_. Don't you _dare_ talk about him like that!"

Yu whistled in false appreciation. "Oooooh. Hit a tender spot, did we?"

"We already told you to shut up." Kouji growled, stepping in front of his brother.

Yu stuck her tongue out at him. "Make us, sugah."

"Fine."

Suigin smirked again. "This isn't playtime, little boy. We're stronger than you."

This time, Kouji was the one who smirked. "Of course you are."

Their energy bristled against each other with the fury of a small lightening storm, the energy building up and clashing violently around them, pent-up and angry. Just one exchange of words was needed to set it off:

"I challenge."

"I accept."

_**TBC…**_

You wanna guess who Suigin and Yu are based off of? Cyber cookies to anybody who can guess!

Onigiri – Rice Balls. Can either be store-bought or made at home.

Bento – a standard Japanese lunch box, stuffed with rice, meat and veggies, usually in separate compartments within the container.

Sempai – Upperclassman.


	6. Broken Reflection

Eh…Sorry for taking so long to update this. I got caught up in a lot of things. But I should be able to update a little more rapidly now. So please stick with me - I really don't mean to fall behind so much. I just do. And it took me forever to get this chapter out. It just wouldn't come. So if it seems a little iffy…that's why. The next few chapters will be of better quality.

Congrats to everybody who guess correctly on my challenge on Suigin and Yu! As many of you figured, they are, in fact, based on Ranamon and Mercurimon…loosely, obviously, since Mercurimon is a man, but hey, I wanted to vary it up a bit. It's fun, too, because that gives me a basis to work with…

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 5: Broken Reflection**

The Battle Area extended and semi-solidified around them an in a perfect ellipse, the length exactly twice that of its width, with an orb of conflict forming where the two rings of power overlapped. Kouji's eyes were narrowed sharply at the women before him, while Kouichi moved to grip his brother's arm with both hands. His right hand moved to rest over the scar on Kouji's arm. Yu stood proud and tall, her fingers laced around Suigin's hand, behind her back.

Suigin smiled at the boys icily, her eyes appearing distinctly silver through her lenses. "There's no backing out, you know. You're playing in the big leagues now."

"Oh yeah," Yu grinned, gripping one palm into a fist and stretching it out from her body, her hand pulling something off of a chain around her neck. "And we play rough. **_Water_.**"

She opened her hand, revealing a small blue orb. It looked like a gem of some sort, almost like a glowing sapphire, until it leapt into the air and blossomed outward to the size of a soccer ball. It was then revealed to be a transparent substance filled with ocean-blue water, which sloshed restlessly around the glass and created mini-whirlpools in the wake of its own power.

Kouji lifted a curious eyebrow and smirked. "Not bad."

"You ain't seen nothin' yet, sugah." Yu giggled, her eyes narrowing in a conniving-looking smirk. "**_Release. Be crushed by our tide!"_**

The glass shattered, its shards flying through the air, melting into the waves as the water burst forward. It rushed at the twins in a broad, white-water torrent, ready to sweep them both up and carry them off into oblivion.

Kouji stepped forward, bracing his feet into a strong stance and facing down the wave. "**Shadows. Rise and defend."**

The darkness that flooded the street leapt to his call, wrapping around the boys to form a bubble-like shield of black. The wave crashed and broke against it, splitting off to the sides to flood the battle area, but leaving the twins untouched.

Yu drew back with a snarl. "You…!"

"Tricky." Suigin smirked, placing her hands on the other's shoulder. She leaned down to whisper in the other's ears, slow and sultry, but just loud enough that the other pair could hear them. "Then we'll just have to be trickier."

Yu shuddered with a visibly pleasant chill. "Ooh…Ah like that idea, darlin'."

She leaned up, putting her hand around Suigin's head, and kissed her partner's lips deeply.

Kouji drew back, scowling, not because they were both women, but because he hated seeing other people's PDAs. "Ugh…God, get a room."

Suigin just laughed as the kiss was broken, turning away from her Fighter Unit with a smirk. "What's the matter, little boy? Scared of cooties?" The corners of her smirk curled upward, and she slipped her arm around Yu's chest. "You do know that the closer the bond, the stronger the power, ne? Even un-Schooled little heathens like you should be able to realize that."

Kouichi nibbled his lip anxiously and gripped Kouji's hand a bit tighter. He was trying to bring the younger's attention to the fact that the water beyond their shield was slowly receding from them, back to wince it had come. Kouji watched the retreating waves with only his eyes, but he made no move to stop them just yet. "Any idiot knows that."

"Then yeh must know that yeh will never have the power tuh beat us, sugah." Yu snickered. "After all, yer _only_ brothers."

Kouji bristled again and gripped his twin's hand so tightly that anyone else would have torn it off. "_ONLY _brothers?"

"Indeed." The two women widened their smirks, pearly white teeth showing past their lips. "Brotherhood. A bond so close it could never be brought any closer. You seem almost inseparable, but you could never be as close as we are." She touched her head, clearly indicating her lack of ears with self-satisfied confidence. "You can never give anything more than we have. You will never share anything more important than your Name."

Kouji grimaced at the thought, his ears twitching restlessly as though to reassure him that they were still there. He could feel Kouji trembling with rage - he _hated_ it when other people judged their relationship, when they mocked them for it, knowing very well what they were and what they could be - and Kouichi could hear a spell making its way to the tip of his brother's tongue.

But something was happening. Yu was whispering under her breath, a spell, with short, powerful, complicated words. As she cast, the water retreated back into her hands, swirling into a disk-shape, making…something…

"Kouji…"

"I'll get them." Kouji growled, his teeth showing like fangs. "**_Light, go forth. Steal their sight!_**"

The darkness parted instantly to make way for a spear of light, which shot across the battle area, crackling like lightening and letting out a thunderous blast. Suigin smirked, sliding her sunglasses on, and seconds before they were struck, Yu threw her arms out with a shout. "**_Mirror, Reflect!_**"

The water snapped to its new shape, a glistening ice disk with a perfect angled curve. The light crashed into it, bursting with energy, and for a moment there was silence. Then it blasted back, aimed directly at the opposing pair, and before Kouji could comprehend what was happening, it collided.

The crash was deafening and the flash blinding. Kouichi cried out in shock and reeled backwards, his hands over his eyes.

"Nii-san…!" Kouji gasped, covering his eyes with his arm, and curved after him the moment the view was clear.

Kouichi was on the ground, his hands over his eyes, gasping for breath. When his brother's hand touched his shoulder, he lifted his head as a reassuring smile slide over his lips.

"I'm okay, Kouji. Really, I'm fine."

He turned his head to look at his brother, but he couldn't.

Couldn't because a hard, almost metallic blindfold had appeared around his head, binding his eyes shut and wrapping all the way around so that it was impossible to remove. He reached out, feeling through the air. Kouji came out of his shock to grab the other's hand tightly. "Nii-san…"

"Oooh, now that's a nice little trick."

Kouji scowled and turned, glaring at the two women in disgust. Yu was the one who had spoken, carefully suspending their disk in the air as she moved forward, her sacrifice staying just a few steps behind. Both still wore their cocky, serious smirks, as though they hadn't a care in the world.

"Ya'll gonna have tuh teach us that one."

"Yes, indeed." Suigin removed her sunglasses, keeping her strides calm and even. "Once we get them back to the School, that is."

Kouji growled at them, reacting in anger before the pair could reach them. "**_LIGHT!_**"

"**_Reflect._**" Yu lifted the disk once more, catching the light and throwing it back with ease. Kouji's reaction was faster this time, moving to grab his brother by the shoulders and roll them both out of the way. The beam of light left a black scar on the ground, and the women chuckled in delight.

"Yeh might as well give up now, if that's all yeh've got." Yu smirked, lowing the mirror of ice to reveal her face. "Anything yeh throw at us is just gonna be sent right back, sugah."

"Every single time. It's our specialty." Suigin smirked again, brushing her hair back coolly. "Our Name is Reflection. No matter your power, it shall be returned. And that light just makes it easier."

Kouji growled again, but Kouichi placed a hand on his brother's arm to keep him calm. "Don't let them get to you, Kouji, please. Just think."

"Yes, think. Think all you want." Suigin's voice was mockingly confident. "It won't change anything."

The younger twin snarled, and all it did was make the woman grin a bit more. "No matter what you try, your own power will bind you. And there is no way for you to get out of it now."

From the ground, Kouji scowled up at them, moving to grab on to his brother's hand. His mind was working through their powers, their strategies, trying desperately to think of something that would work, something that wouldn't blow them both away with it…

Then it hit him.

"Nii-san," he whispered, keeping his voice low. "I've got an idea. But it's gonna hurt."

Kouichi gripped his brother's hand tightly, keeping his eyes closed behind the blindfold, and sighed lightly. "I'm with you, Kouji. I'll do anything that you think we need to." He squeezed a bit more tightly as his brother helped him up, confirming his next words without being able to use his eyes. "I trust you."

"I know you do." Kouji squeezed back and steeled himself for the attack. "Hold on, Nii-san. This is going to get rough…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"What the hell?"

Takuya jumped a foot and dropped the blackened pot that he had been scrubbing, which landed in the sink with a clatter and a splash, sending soap and water flying in all directions. The reaction was perfectly normal, all things considered, because an unearthly flash of blue light had just filled the street outside, as well as filling the entire house with light.

His next reaction was to dive for cover, ducking beneath the defense of the counter. He soon figured out that this was really not something he needed to be doing, as the light disappeared and everything was quiet.

Takuya stood slowly, wringing his hair out, and sighed as he moved to the window. "What is going on out there…?"

He paused a moment, not sure if he really, really wanted to know. Then he took hold of the blinds and lifted the just enough to peak out into the street.

It was dark, as was only to be expected at eight in the evening, though the orange light of the street lamps colored everything just the tiniest bit. Everything looked pretty much quiet…until one noticed the flashes of light and occasional scuffling sounds that were echoing from the sidewalk just outside his house.

The noises could be anything, including your run of the mill gang fight - stranger things had happened on his block. But flashing lights, distinct explosions, and something that sounded like waves crashing into the walls…?

It couldn't be.

…Could it?

"If this is who I think it is…" Takuya sighed, shaking his head as he reached for his coat. "I am never going to live it down."

He pulled on his coat, pausing a moment to slip on his outdoor shoes, and hurried out the door.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"**_Go, hidden light!_**"

"**_Reflect!_**"

Kouji braced himself as the light-bolt he had sent was reflected back at them, slicing at his arm and wrapping a thin leather cuff around his brother's left wrist. It joined an identical on right one, as well as a pair on his ankles, connected by a silver chain barely long enough that he could stay standing. Kouichi pulled his hands in to his chest, feeling his new bonds experimentally and biting his lip.

Kouji grunted in disgust, reaching out to grab his brother's hand again. "Just hold on, Nii-san."

"I…I'm fine."

"Just what exactly do yeh yer doin', sugah?" Yu interrupted, sounding incredulous. She still held the icy mirror in her hands, its surface shining pristinely, and hadn't even broken a sweat for all the effort that the twins were putting into it. "Throwin' the same thing over an over ain't gonna do nothin' fer nobody. Why're you wastin' our time?"

"This is getting rather tedious." Suigin sniffed, tossing her hair out of her eyes in disgust. "Don't you…_children_…know when to give up?"

But Kouji wasn't ready to give up just yet. His eyes were very keen, very accurate, and that's why he could see what the other two couldn't - tiny, minute cracks forming in the surface of the mirror, small enough that they weren't noticed, but still enough to weaken the mirror's defenses just the slightest bit. Yes…They'd made about five cracks, all spread out towards different edges…It should be enough…

"Just one more, Nii-san." He whispered, gripping his brother's hand again, drawing the power that he needed intently, focusing on their attack. "Just one more big one, just one…**_Shadow._**"

A small, cylindrical shadow formed, masked by the darkness behind them so that it was almost impossible to be seen. Kouji reached out and beconed the beam forward, pulling it up where he could see it. "**_Shadow, hidden in Light. Break them down!_**"

The big 'bullet' of darkness was gone suddenly, wrapped in a much larger shell of light, ready to fire. An instant later, the combination shot forward with the power and speed of thunder.

Suigin smirked again, lifting her sunglasses to her eyes again. "They never learn."

"Nope." Yu picked up the mirror again. "**_Reflect._**"

Kouji grinned just a little, carefully watching the light as it flew, and waited until it was about to hit the mirror's surface before the next spell broke from his mouth with all the force of a rock smashing through a window. "**_SHATTER_**."

And the mirror did just that.

As the darkness uncurled from its light cocoon, it crashed right into the center of the disk's largest crack, at the focal point of the mirror's curve. With a resounding crack, the mirror shattered into dozens of large, icy shards, which flew back on the spell's creator in the wake of the darkness's own path. Yu let out a cry of surprise as the bolt of shadow slammed into her shoulder like a club and the shards sliced, as though threatening to cut her to ribbons. But, naturally, it didn't leave a mark, at least, not on her. Suigin shrieked as black, glass-like chains curled up her arms, pinning them to her sides, and wrapped around her legs, pulling them together so tightly that she hit the ground hard.

"Sui-chan!" Yu exclaimed, stumbling back to her partner's side. The older girl groaned in pain and, quietly, passed out.

The battle area disappeared at that moment, with only Balance remaining standing. In a second, the cuffs and blindfold vanished, and Kouichi blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light once more, feeling his sore wrists carefully.

"Are you all right, Nii-san?" Kouji asked worriedly, putting his hands on the other's wrist to check the bandages.

"Yeah…" Kouichi smiled again, honestly and openly this time. "Everything's fine."

"Kimura! Minamoto!"

The twins looked up as Takuya came running down the walk, pulling his jacket on over his clothes. He was staring, openly and wide-eyed, at the two women crouched over each other on the ground, as though he'd just woken up from a really bad dream to find an even worse one. "What the hell are you guys _doing_ out here?"

"It's a coincidence." Kouji muttered sourly.

"Coincidence?"

Kouji rolled his eyes and turned his back at the other boy, moving to the bushes that framed Takuya's lawn. Kouichi rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, you see, Kanbara-kun…we were just walking home…"

"From what?"

"The Chinese restaurant down the street." Kouji returned, holding up a large white sack clearly decorated with the copyrighted logo of a place local famous for really quick noodles and chicken.

"We eat take-out twice a week." Kouichi explained with an awkward grin. "And we were just heading home…"

"When we saw _these_ losers marching up like they owned the place." Kouji sniffed, glancing at the women in annoyance. "Trouble, obviously. So we had a look."

Takuya gaped again, surprised, first at the twins, then at the women, the taller of whom was just starting to flutter awake from the attack. Both of them looked very battle-weary and tired, covered in scratches and dirt, with the disbelieving look that came from never seeing what was about to come.

"Are they…Are they okay?"

"They should be." Kouji sniffed in disgust, making his way over. Yu looked up at him with an almost fearful expression as he paused just inches from them. "…You got a way home?"

"…No."

Kouji dug into his pocket with his free hand, pulling out about ¥ 1500 worth of change and dropping it within her reach. "There. Get a bus and go back to the school. Remember, you lost - you don't have any right coming back here again."

Yu scowled, biting her lip in annoyance, but reached for the money anyway in a sign of humility. "Whatever yeh say…Sugah."

She pulled herself to her feet and proceeded to help her partner away with a certain amount of dignity. Kouji rolled his eyes and turned away, heading down the street in the other direction. He paused just a step to catch Kouichi's hand in his own, and started pulling his brother down the street without so much as a goodbye. Kouichi turned away as they left, giving Takuya an awkward smile and a wave.

"See…See you at school tomorrow, Kanbara-kun."

_**TBC…**_

Gag, this was a bad chapter. . The next one will be better, I promise! The story really gets rolling in the next chapter, and you're going to enjoy it, I promise! Please forgive this really lame chapter, and look at this way - at least I managed to force it out. It was being really…really…tough.

1500 yen is about $15 American.


	7. A Moment to Escape

Once again - I have not read enough of the _Loveless_ manga to know exactly what 'The School' is like. I tried to get Vol. 4 yesterday, but the shop sold its only copy before I could get the money for it. So, for now, I'm going to give only a vague description and leave a large amount of time to pass before I try to describe the building in detail. Sorry if I do anything that's completely and totally wrong!

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 6: A Moment to Escape**

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Shush!" The girl hissed, turning from her place beside the window. Long hair whipped around her shoulder, falling into pretty blue-green eyes, which were now narrowed fiercely. "You're gonna get me caught!"

Her companion, a large boy with short-cropped brown hair, gaped at her wordlessly from the door. "But…But 'Zumi…"

"Shush!" The girl snapped again, and went back to forcing the window open a centimeter at a time. The frame was made of old metal that had been painted closed, and, as such, she was having a very hard time prying it open, even with both hands and a crowbar.

Her companion bit his lip, shifting from one leg to the other anxiously. "'Zumi, are you crazy? If the teachers find out about this, they'll send the Monitors after you, and then…"

"Just have to deal with it." With a grunt, the girl finally managed to force the window all the way open, and began fumbling with a coil of rope. She looked up at her friend with determination in her eyes. "I'm not staying here, Jun. I can't. I can't take this anymore, what they're doing. This isn't right. This isn't the place for me, I know it's not. There's something out _there_ that's calling for me, and I'm going to find it!"

"There's someone calling for everyone," the boy said, reciting the line that had been repeated to them since the day they had arrived. "But that's why we're _here_. They're helping us find it."

"Maybe I don't want their help!" The girl turned to him, exasperated, the hand which held the rope resting on her hip, mirroring it's partner. "Jun, haven't you ever thought that maybe there's something more than what they're telling us? Something that they're hiding, something they don't want us to know?"

"Well…" The boy nibbled his lip again and let the thought leave off.

She sighed, shaking her head, and moved to tie the rope to the leg of the desk that rested in the storage area with them. She triple-tied the knot, pulling the lead several times to make sure that it was secure. Her friend moved a step forward, stuttering. "Y-You can't go alone!"

"Well, you can't go with me." She sighed, sitting on the windowsill and swinging one leg out into the chilly night. "Somebody's got to stay and take care of Tomoki."

Her friend hesitated, his last thought gone, and sighed. He shook his head and moved to the window, looking sad. "They're going to come after you, you know."

"I know."

"It's going to be really rough getting out."

"I know."

He craned his head forward, looking out the window. "It's a long way down…"

"Jun!" The girl smacked his arm with a light grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you didn't want me to go."

"Well…" He shrugged, rather pathetically. "I don't."

She sighed and looked back at him with a real, honest smile. She took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "You're a good friend. I'm going to miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you, too, Zumi." He sighed, squeezing back. Then he pushed a smile onto his face, not letting himself be sad. "You better get going. They'll come around to check on things, soon."

She nodded, giving his hand one last squeeze, and pushed out the window. Neither of them said the word 'goodbye' - both knew that they didn't need it. He waited until she'd made it all the way down to ground before he untied the rope and tossed it down to her.

She caught it, rolling it into a handy little circle, which she stuffed into her bag. Pausing just a moment, she looked up and locked eyes with her old friend. She waved, and he waved back, trying to make the moment last forever.

And with that last wave, she turned and disappeared into the dark of the night.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouichi was conscious very suddenly, opening his eyes and taking in one short, quiet gasp. Their room was slowly being flooded with a soft light - a pale orange, so it must be barely sunrise. A glance at the alarm clock at the beside confirmed this - it was 5:30.

The elder of the twins groaned lightly, moving to cover his eyes, and realized that there were tears on the edge of his cheeks. Just touching them brought back the aftereffect of the dream…that horrible, disgusting, terrible dream. Thinking about it made his heart ache and his stomach burn as though he had swallowed something caustic, and the tears burned at his eyes again.

He wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his pajamas and rolled over, seeking comfort.

Kouji liked to sleep without his shirt, wearing only pajama bottoms. Kouichi generally liked it this way - he could lean against his brother and listen to his heart with ease, the gentle rhythm of his life soothing him to sleep. Now the feeling of skin-to-skin warmth gave him comfort, and he cuddled himself into it as he wrapped his arms around his brother's waist.

Kouji, a relatively light sleeper, was brought around by this, and moved to put his arms over the older twin in a loose embrace. "Ne…What's the matter, Kou?"

Kouichi shook his head and buried his eyes a little more. "Just a…dream."

"What kind of dream?" The arms tightened a little more, caring and protective.

"Nightmare." Kouichi muttered, and gripped his brother's waist a bit tighter at the thought.

Kouji sighed lightly and moved to brush the bangs away from his brother's eyes. He pulled himself a little bit closer and gently kissed his forehead. "Do you want to talk about it? What was it about?"

Kouichi didn't answer for a while, nor did he move. Then he turned his head to look up at his brother with big, tired eyes. "I dreamed that they came to…to take you away again."

Kouji's arms tightened sharply, and his breath hitched. He took his brother's head in his hands and kissed his lips, holding it out so that it was deep and long. When they broke away. he moved so that their noses were practically touching, and looked straight into Kouichi's eyes.

"You don't have to worry about that," he whispered, gently caressing the other's cheek with his fingers. "You don't have to be afraid of anything. No one is ever going to take me away from you, I promise. Nothing is ever going to separate us, not now, and not ever."

Kouichi looked back at him with loving, adoring eyes. "I know that, Kouji. It was just a dream."

He kissed him again, and it lasted much longer this time, until they were both gasping for air. Kouichi smiled and brushed Kouji's ponytail back behind his head where it belonged. "We need to get up, you know. We have school."

"Whatever you say." Kouji grinned and stretched like a cat, reaching out to tickle his brother's ribs. Kouichi giggled and squirmed away, rolling over to carefully climb out of bed as the younger twin did the same on the other side.

Kouichi stood, stretching out his shoulders. As he padded around to the other side of the bed, Kouji grabbed his wrist and kissed him again. Then, without pausing, he did it again, and leaned forward to dip his brother back.

The whole thing was enough that Kouichi was giggling when they came out of it, moving to wrap his hands around his brother's neck. Kouji grinned down at him in a cat-like manner. "I love you, Nii-san."

"I love you too, Kouji." Kouichi pulled himself up and kissed his brother one more time, very quickly. "And thank you."

"Anytime."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Normally, Takuya was not one to go to school very early.

He liked to lie in bed for as long as humanly possible, which was usually when his mother came in and yanked the covers off down to the sheets. Then he generally enjoyed a long, languid shower, followed up by a generally hearty breathless and a slow, easy walk to school.

Today, however, was different.

Today, he had woken early to the light of the rising sun, and found himself not only unable to return to slumber but almost completely lacking in appetite. So, he took a quick, cold shower and grabbed an apple on the way out the door, which he had finished before the walk was half done.

The large clock set into the face of the school's main building indicated that he had over an hour before class began. He sighed in disgust of himself, pulling his hat down over his eyes, and resigned himself to wander to practice his goal shooting until the rest of the team showed up…

"Good morning, Kanbara-kun!"

Takuya jumped and dropped his backpack. The voice from behind him giggled lightly, paused a moment to grab the bag, and stepped around him to reveal the elder of the two twins. Takuya sighed, his ears drooping back into a more relaxed position. "God, Kimura…"

"Sorry," Kouichi smiled, handing him his bag, and the little ears at the top of his head twitched playfully. "I didn't mean to scare you, Kanbara-kun."

"Feh," another voice scoffed from Takuya's side and made him jump again. "He should have been paying more attention."

"What?" Takuya twisted and glared at the other boy, almost exactly eye-to-eye with him. "Say that again, Minamoto!"

The long-haired twin sniffed again. "It's not worth repeating, even if you were too dull to hear it the first time."

"Dammit, you punk!"

"Kouji, be nice." Kouichi chided gently, though he wore a smile as he came to his brother's side. He turned to Takuya with a placating expression, breaking up the fight before it could begin. "It's certainly unexpected to see you here, Kanbara-kun. I thought you normally came to school much later than this."

"Uh, yeah…" Takuya gave Kouji one last glare, turning back to rub his head awkwardly. "I, uh…Couldn't sleep."

Kouichi had a new bandage on his cheek, he couldn't help but notice, and the white gauze peaking out from his collar made itself obvious when one started to look for it. Takuya winced at the thought of what had caused those wounds - probably, that battle or whatever it was they had been doing in front of his house last night…trying to protect him…

"Anyway, we need to get inside, right, Kouji?" Kouichi smiled at his brother, squeezing the other's hand. "We still need to make up that test we missed in Math last week, remember?"

"Yeah, whatever…" Kouji mumbled a bit and turned his head away, but squeeze his brother's hand back. His cheeks were just a little pink, as though something about the scene was embarrassing for him, but not enough so that he wanted to correct his brother for it.

Kouichi giggled again almost childishly, covering his mouth with his hand, and turned back to Takuya with a coy smile. "We'll see you in class, ne, Kanbara-kun?"

"Yeah…Sure." Takuya muttered awkwardly, and stepped back to watch Kouichi pull his brother into the building. Sometimes, the sheer contrast of their personalities standing next to each other was…disorienting. If it hadn't been for their faces, he wouldn't have even believed they were brothers.

He sighed, trying to clear his head. He was thinking too much, that had to be it. That's why he was acting strangely, and why even being _around_ those two made his head spin so strangely, and why his entire body was so anxious today, as though something exciting was coming straight toward him, just around the corner…

He was just thinking too much, that's all. He shoved the thoughts away and went to figure out where the soccer balls were stored.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"What? What do you mean, a student disappeared?"

Yu looked up from the flavored water she had been mulling over in surprise, her blue eyes widening as she turned them to her partner. Suigin, sporting new bandages on her arms and neck, was clutching her iced coffee almost as though she was afraid to break it, staring straight ahead as she clutched the silver cell phone to her ear.

"How could something like that have happened? Who would ever think of just _leaving_ the School?"

The voice on the other end of the line chuckled, the volume turned loud enough that Yu could hear as well. "_Yes, it does seem rather improbable, doesn't it? But that seems to be the situation in this case."_

Yu and Suigin glanced at each other in disbelief. What kind of maniac would actually _want_ to leave the School, leaving behind their chance to find their partner, their other half, their soul mate…

"_Naturally, the Runaway must be recovered and returned…"_

"Understood, sir!" Suigin insisted, her voice as sharp as a soldier's salute. "We'll find her and bring her back right away!"

A light scoff. "_No, you won't."_

_"_But sir!"

"_No 'buts,'"_ the voice said sternly, silencing them both. "_You've already had your chance, and you've failed. If we can't rely on you to fetch a brainless punk, we can't depend on you at all."_

Yu rose from her seat, eyes wide in shock. "But…"

"_We will be sending the Monitors after her, instead."_

The women looked at each other, dumbstruck. Yu wavered a bit, her water trembling in her hands, and whispered hesitantly. "The…The Monitors?"

_"Return to the School immediately," _the voice insisted, paying no mind to their surprise. "_You will receive extended training to make up for your failure. That is all."_

With a beep and a buzz, the line went dead. Numbly, Suigin let the phone drop and shut down, slipping it into her pocket. She glanced at her partner wearily and sighed, closing her eyes. "So…What's our next move?"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Basketball was, in Takuya's book at least, not as good as soccer, but it was a close second.

The gym was currently full of him and his classmates, all dressed in the white shirts and red shorts that constituted their school gym uniform, though half of them also wore a thin red jersey over it to indicate their teams. It was a pretty open game with an even and entertaining match-up, something the school rarely got to see.

Takuya was enjoying himself, snatching rebounds, taking it down the court, making the shot, he loved every moment of it. In the heat, the work and the sweat, he was finally in his element.

"C'mon, c'mon, let's keep going!" He encouraged, clapping his hands as the ball switched sides. "Let's keep a move on!"

One of the guys on his team, Yamanaka, rolled his eyes in disgust. "Geez, tone it down, Kanbara. It's not like you're doin' much."

Takuya frowned. Normally, Yamanaka and the others on the soccer team would be yelling and encouraging right along with him, but for the past several days, it was as though they only acknowledged his existence as a form of constant annoyance. It was…perturbing.

The only one in the game that they seemed to be treating worse than him was Kouichi. The older twin was on his own, since Kouji had gotten in trouble for starting a fight in the middle of class when one of the boys had been picking on Kouichi. As a result, Kouichi hadn't gotten the ball during the entire game, and honestly, he didn't look like he cared.

"Hey, look out!"

Takuya snapped his head back up, coming out of his thoughts to find that the ball was now flying across the court, on the power of a bad shot deflected off one of the backboards. It soared through the air, arching across the gym, and the only one in its path was Kouichi.

The dark-haired twin grinned as he watched the ball's path, sliding back in preparation for the catch. "I've got it…!"

But just as his fingers traced against the side of the ball, Matsuda - wearing a red jersey, just the way that Takuya and Kouichi were - came from the side and crashed into him. Kouichi hit the ground hard and slid out of bounds, groaning lightly as he tried to pull himself up.

"Hey!" Takuya stormed forward as Matsuda caught and passed the ball, grabbing his teammate by the collar the moment that the ball left his hands. "What's your problem? You could have really hurt him!"

"Screw off, Kanbara," Matsuda snapped, shoving him away forcefully. "If he's fragile enough to break from something like that he shouldn't be playing at all!"

Takuya scowled - Matsuda could be a jerk sometimes, but this was just pushing his nerves. "That doesn't give you an excuse to hit him like that!"

A whistled blared from across the gym and their P.E. teacher shouted, "Kanbara! Matsuda! Get playing or get off the court, now!"

Matsuda scoffed a bit, obviously considering that to mean he'd won the argument, and went back to the game. Takuya scowled and hurried over to the sidelines, where Kouichi was still on the ground, his ears pressed against the top of his head, rubbing his neck painfully. "Hey, Kimura, are you okay?"

"I…I'm not really sure…" The dark-haired boy groaned and pulled his hand away to look at it. His palm was smeared with blood and a translucent yellow liquid that Takuya didn't even want to think about. "Oh dear…"

Takuya drew back from the sight, his face twisting in disgust. "What did he _do _to you?"

"Nothing," Kouichi winced a bit as the same mixture of substances began to bleed through the white gauze on his wrists. "They must have just opened up a bit on the way down…"

"Well, that's not good!" Takuya reached down and helped the other boy up by the elbow, careful not to hurt him any more than he already was. "Come on, let's get you to the nurse's and…"

"No!" Kouichi grabbed Takuya's arm insistently. "She'll want to know where these came from, Kanbara-kun, and…" his eyes dropped down a bit, "I don't want Kouji to see me like this. He's got enough to worry about now."

Takuya wavered a bit. Mentally, he cursed himself - what was it about this guy that made him want to cave in to anything he requested, even something as obnoxiously stupid like this? But the fact was, Kimura looked desperate to keep this between the two of them, and who was he to deny something like that…?

"We have to do something about this, Kimura."

"I know we do," the twin sighed, reaching into his pocket to pull out a roll of fresh bandages. "I…I need you to help me change these…Please, Kanbara-kun?"

Takuya hesitated just a moment, then sighed. "All right…fine. Come on."

He helped the other boy up, leading him into the locker room. It was barren now, since everyone was out on the court, but there was water and disinfectant soap ready to clean the wounds.

Kouichi sank down onto one of the benches with a sigh and placed the bandages beside him. He braced himself, closing his eyes, and pulled his shirt off over his head with a light wince.

Takuya winced too, in sympathy, and then again as the other boy revealed his skin. Kimura's chest and back were covered in scars, some of them a shallow tan, others a dark, deep pink. Standing out amongst them all was a large, dark pink mark that looked as though he'd been slashed across the chest with a butcher knife…

"I was in the hospital for three days after that one."

Takuya snapped out of it. "What?"

Kouichi's hand moved to touch the large mark that crossed over his chest, looking down at in a way that was almost nostalgic. "One of our early opponents from the School decided that it would be better to 'eliminate the threat' altogether. Tried to rip me apart. Kouji used that as a distraction to blow them away right before I passed out."

Takuya winced again at the story as Kouichi began to unravel the bandages around his neck. He reached over to help, letting their conversation lap into an awkward silence before he sighed. "Why do you do this to yourself?"

"Hm?" Kouichi glanced back at him just a moment, handing him the new bandages to replace the old ones. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why do you go through with this?" Takuya grit his teeth a bit as he wrapped, trying to get his questions straight. "Why do you offer yourself up to be…ripped apart, strangled, burned…why do you let them do this for you? Why did you enter into this contract thing in the first place?"

Kouichi's expression softened in understand and he closed his eyes. "Why? Because I'm selfish."

"Huh?" Takuya blinked. _That_, he hadn't been expecting.

"I love my brother, and I'm selfish." Kouichi sighed again, letting his arms fall to his sides peacefully. "I love Kouji so much that I never, ever want anybody else to have him or take him away from me. I want us to be together forever."

"That's why…" Kouichi's hand trailed back to his own chest, his fingers hovering over the large scar, and a light smile flickered over his face. "Why I take his pain for him. That way, he'll never have to suffer or cry because he's with me. That way…He'll never have to go away."

Takuya stared at him and felt oddly touched. "Kimura…"

Kouichi turned back and smiled up at him brightly, his ears twitching in friendly delight. "Kanbara-kun, it will be time to go to class soon. We need to hurry."

Takuya shook himself. "Yeah. You're right."

He finished rewrapping the bandages in silence, quietly marveling the loyalty his…friend…had shown him. After all that these two went through for each other, and for him as well…He felt that this was the least he could do.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

That afternoon, as school was ending, Takuya decided to walk home with the twins.

It wasn't exactly a conscious decision, nor was it a spoken one. He and Kouji had clean-up duties that evening, and Kouichi had waited patiently for his brother in the hallway. When Takuya followed the younger twin out, neither of them had said a word (though Kouji did glare at him rather disgustedly) and they had set out. After a short awkward silence, they had struck up simple conversation, talking about schoolwork, teachers and the like.

None of them had been expecting to find someone waiting for them just outside the school gates.

The man was young, but not as young as they were, perhaps in his very early thirties. He was tall, thin and blonde, with long hair that reached his waist and no ears. Small glasses were perched on the end of his regally thin nose, resting in front of cool, confident blue eyes. He was wearing clothes that seemed simple, yet strangely elegant - a black turtleneck sweater and slim fitting blue jeans. He was leaning against the school gat as they stepped out, smoking a cigarette, though when he saw them he lowered the light from his lips. He dropped it onto the sidewalk, rubbed it out with the toe of his boot, and slipped his hands into his pockets in a non-threatening manner as he stepped forward to greet them.

"Hello, boys." His tone was cordial, and his expression was almost playful as it slid to the twins. "Long time no see."

Takuya blinked, wondering who this man was and why he would be approaching them now, of all times. Kouichi bristled from head to toe as though he felt threatened, but Kouji simply took one look at the man and gasped, uncharacteristically surprised.

"Soubi-san!"

_**TBC…**_

Hee hee hee…


	8. Teacher

**_Disclaimer:_ **_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 7: Teacher**

Two boys giggled as they ran up the front walk of their house, still carrying their schoolbags over their shoulders as they did. Their cute, nine-year-old faces were nearly identical, though one wore his hair much longer than the other's, and they were still dressed in the uniform dictated to them by their elementary school.

The house that they ran to was small, but pleasant. Two rooms, one water closet and no bath, it had neither the area nor the comfort of a home of the elite, but it was more than enough for them and their family - their only real family, their precious mother.

When they reached the door, the elder of the two twins made it first, thus winning their little race, and giggled as he pushed the door open. "I beat you, Kouji!"

"Nuh-uh!" His brother hurried up behind him and whopped him on the head harmlessly with the flat of his hand. "I'll get yeh tomorrow!"

His brother giggled again and bounced out of his shoes, depositing his backpack on the floor of the entry hall. "Mama, we're home!"

There was no answer. If either of them had been a bit older, they might have noticed that all of the lights in the house were out and the blinds were shut, but neither could make this observation now.

The younger brother shrugged lightly, closing the door. "She must be in her room."

"I'll go get her!" His brother volunteered brightly, jumping up into the main house. "You hurry up too, okay?"

He disappeared into the main of the house, hurrying down the hall to their mother's room, where a single light was on. The younger twin remained behind, struggling with his shoes, which had somehow gotten tied into an impossibly tight knot. He sat down on the edge of the floor and began to fight with it, focusing all his concentration on the shoe.

Seconds later, his brother was screaming.

The younger brother snapped his head up, forgetting about the shoe altogether as he dashed into the house. "Nii-san! What's wrong, Nii-san?"

The other boy didn't answer him, just kept screaming, a long, terrified sound that echoed through the house. Kouji found him standing in the doorway of their mother's room, his socks slowly being stained by the thin layer of blood that was permeating from inside. Before he asked again what was wrong, the younger twin reached his brother's side and looked in.

And then he realized why it was his brother was screaming.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Soubi-san!"

Takuya turned slightly at the surprisingly shocked sound of Kouji's voice, and his eyes were met with an even more surprising sight.

For a split moment, it seemed almost as though the twins' personalities had switched. Kouji was staring at the man in surprise, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open, actually taken aback for the first time that Takuya had seen. On the other hand, Kouichi had bristled protectively, the fur on his tail standing on end, his gaze narrowed at the stranger with a disgusted snarl. "You!"

The man…Soubi-san?…did not change his easy-going, non-threatening expression as he approached them. He pulled one hand out of his pocket and placed it on Kouji's head, mussing his hair in a friendly manner.

"You two have certainly gotten tall since the last time I saw you." He smirked lightly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Stronger, too, from the sound of your reputation. Very nice."

Kouichi's scowl deepened, and Soubi, locking eyes with him long enough to get the message, pulled his hand away from the young Fighter's head, leaving Kouji's face lightly flushed. Takuya stared at the scene in a mild state of shock. "You two know him?"

Soubi laughed. "You could say that."

"What do you want?" Kouichi snapped, his voice darker than normal.

"Want?" The man asked, lifting one pale eyebrow. "Do I need a reason to check up on some old friends?"

"We're _not_ friends."

Kouji hesitated, as though uncertain whether or not her really wanted to get involved in this. "Nii-san…"

"I told you to stay away!" Kouichi shouted, stepping forward to confront the blonde. "We don't want you around here, don't you get that? Why can't you just leave us alone?"

Soubi-san clicked his tongue in a manner that was almost disapproving, like a parent scolding their child for acting up. "Now, Kimura-kun…"

"Just stay the hell away!" Kouichi yelled, then grabbed Kouji's hand and dragged him down the street, away from the school and away from the man. The younger twin, to Takuya's surprise once more, did not fight, rather, he picked up the pace a bit to catch up with his brother and seemed to speak to him in a soft, secretive whisper.

Soubi clicked his tongue, this time in amusement, watching them leave without even moving from his spot. "I suppose I should have expected that."

Takuya glanced at the man. At the moment, all he really wanted to do was follow after the twins…something about this 'Soubi-san' made him feel like it was not safe to stay with him alone…but shock kept him rooted to the spot. "I've…I've never seen Kimura act that way."

"Yes, well…He can be quite the little firecracker, when the need arises." Soubi chuckled, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tapping one into his hand. He held it up to his mouth and lit it with a silver lighter. He took two quick puffs to start it going, then drew in a long drag and lowered the little stick, breathing out smoke as he turned to the boy with a knowing grin. "So, you must be the infamous Takuya Kanbara."

"Yeah…" Takuya took a step back, waving away the smoke awkwardly. "Yeah, that's me."

"Interesting…" Soubi took another drag, this time blowing the smoke away from the boy. "You must be something special, for those boys to take an interest in you…"

He leaned down until he was only inches from Takuya's nose, holding the cigarette out to the side and looking into the boy's eyes. "I wonder, what could you offer them that would make them act this way? What is it that you have that they can't find in each other, what would make them reach out from their private world for you…?"

Takuya backed away again and ran into the side of the school gate. All of the fur on his tail and ears were standing on end, as well as the hair on the back of his neck. He had a feeling, a really, really…_uncomfortable_…feeling, coursing through his body, and all he knew was that he needed to get out of there, _now_…

"I…I need to get home!" He sputtered out an excuse, and broke into a run. He dashed down the street in the same direction as the twins, disappearing around the corner in a matter of seconds.

Soubi chuckled again and slipped the cigarette into his mouth, wandering down the same path at a much more leisurely pace. There was no real reason for him to hurry, after all. Those boys had always been able to take care of themselves well enough. He was not a player in this game, not anymore - he was nothing more than an interested spectator.

And, for now at least, it would be enough for him to give them just a little nudge in the right direction.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

When Takuya arrived at the twins' home, it was clear that whatever it was that had made Soubi-san seem so wrong had spread even here.

Kouichi opened the door just as Takuya reached to knock, but he didn't look particularly happy to see him. It wasn't as though he was rude, just slightly colder than normal, meeting Takuya's eyes for just a moment before averting them away in a withdrawn manner. "Oh…Hello, Kanbara-kun."

"Um…" Takuya slid back awkwardly and rubbed his neck. "Is this…a bad time?"

"No…No, it's fine," Kouichi sighed, stepping out into the hall and pushing the door open behind him. "I'm just going to the store. Make yourself at home."

He left the door open and set off to the stairs. Takuya hesitated a moment longer, wondering if he should leave after all, but chickened out at the idea of running into him on the way down and stepped in. He toed his shoes off in the entry hall, slipping them under the floor, and stepped into what he assumed would be an empty apartment.

Almost instantly, he found that this assumption was wrong.

Kouji was spread out across the couch in their living room, his lead lying on a pillow at one end, his feet propped up on the armrest on the other. He was lying flat on his back, one hand draped over his waist, the other dangling at the shoulder to brush against the floor, partially tangled in his own tail. He was staring straight up at the ceiling, the expression on his face something between a scowl and a thoughtful little pout.

His eyes rolled away from their former targets as Takuya approached but moved nothing else. The brunette grinned at him awkwardly. "Hey."

"…Hey." Kouji muttered shortly, and his eyes rolled back to the ceiling.

Takuya took a deep breath, steadying his thoughts, and moved to the armchair that he had occupied during his last visit. He sank back into the soft cushions, contemplating what his next move should be, and for a while neither of them said anything.

"…Did you guys get into a fight?"

"Kinda." Kouji scowled a bit deeper. "I'm being punished."

Takuya blinked several times. "Punished?"

Kouji sighed and pulled both of his arms in to cross them over his chest. "Nii-san is the Sacrifice of our partnership. Since he is the one putting his life on the lines, he's the one who makes the rules. And if I break those rules, he has every right to punish me."

Takuya's mouth hung open just a bit, uncertain whether or not he really wanted to know, but he asked anyway. "When you say 'punish'…"

"I have it easier than most, I guess." Kouji muttered, closing his eyes thoughtfully. "Most Sacrifices usually resort to beating a disobedient Fighter, or at least hitting them a few times."

"Say what?" Takuya squawked, jolting straight up in his seat. He couldn't even start to imagine a sweet, lithe-bodied person like Kimura beating _anyone_, let alone the brother that he adored so much…

Kouji glanced at the other and rolled his eyes. "The most physical Nii-san ever gets is messing with my ears. He knows I hate that."

Takuya let out a sigh of relief. "So, when you said that about being punished…"

"He's not speaking to me." Kouji muttered, glancing away. "That's my punishment this time."

"Oh." Takuya waited a moment, then finally asked. "What for, exactly?"

"For arguing with him." Kouji mumbled. "Normally, he doesn't get to upset about it, but when it's really important to him…or he thinks I'm being an idiot…he'll punish me for it. This time, it's both."

Takuya nodded absently, frowning just a little as he thought. "So…This is all because that guy showed up?"

"Basically."

"Who is he, anyway?"

Kouji sighed closing his eyes just a moment, as though wondering whether or not he should really be telling Takuya any of this. After just a bit, he opened them again, looking serious. "His name is Soubi Agatsuma," he said seriously. "He's…our teacher."

"Teacher?" Takuya asked, surprised. "You mean, at the School?"

Kouji picked a book up from the floor and threw it at him. Takuya moved at the last second, letting the hardback romance novel (with Kouichi's name written inside the front cover) strike the back of the chair and drop harmlessly into his lap.

"We _told_ you." The twin snapped, his eyes narrowed sharply. "We never went to the school. There's no way we'd ever go to a hell-hole like that, not after what they did to Mom…!"

He stopped in mid-sentence, as though realizing that he had said too much, and clamped his mouth shut. His ears pressed down against his head and he looked away from Takuya stubbornly.

Takuya was quiet for a while, out of respect, and he glanced away as well. "…They killed her, didn't they?"

"Yeah." Kouji sighed, closing his eyes. "They did."

Takuya's ears pressed back against his head and he gripped his hands into fists. "But why?" He asked, his voice a soft whisper. "This School…what did they get out of killing her? Why would they do something so…"

He lapsed into silence again as Kouji's eyes opened. They were very thoughtful, staring at the ceiling once more, and the ears pressed against his head emphasized the sadness of his expression. "She didn't want it to happen to us, too."

"What?" Takuya blinked. "You…too?"

"Our mother went to the School," Kouji muttered, moving his hands to rest behind his head, supporting it lightly. "It was a long time ago, but she went there. She was part of a Unit, just like me and Nii-san…she was the Sacrifice. They brought her to the School when she was in junior high, about three years after her Fighter…"

Despite himself, Takuya's ears perked a little in interest. "They brought them in separately?"

"They always do. It's the way they work," Kouji sat up, rubbing his neck and still not looking directly at the other boy. "Normally, they try to get the Fighter first…it takes longer to train them, because they have to beat the free will out of them. But if they happen to take in a Sacrifice first, they'll start looking for their partner and train them in the meantime."

He sighed again, letting his hands drop into his lap, and glanced at the clock. "Sometimes, the School takes care of people who really need it…runaways, orphans, wards of the state, kids like that. But other people…like our mother…are taken from their families to go there." He glanced at Takuya seriously. "That's what they want to do with you, too."

The tone of his voice sent an icy chill up Takuya's spine, and all of his hair stood on end. He shuddered, shaking it off, and all he could say was, "Oh."

Kouji looked away from him again, focusing on the wall clock once more, and continued with his story. "Our mother's Unit worked for the School for years. Eventually, the School didn't need them anymore and let them go into the world on their own, saying they'd call if they needed them again. A little while later, Mother finally got her partner… Sayako-san…to tell her what the 'classes' were like for the Fighters. When she found out how horrible they treated the Fighters, Mother swore that, even if they called her, she'd never have anything to do with the School again."

"Well, that's good!" Takuya grinned just a bit, trying to be encouraging and lighten the mood. "Did your mother and her partner get on as well as you and Kouichi do?"

"I don't know," Kouji turned a light pink at the mention of his brother, but forced it down stubbornly. "Sayako-san died of cancer three years before we were born."

Takuya's grin vanished instantly. "Oh."

"Mother used to keep lots of pictures of her, though. They were all over the house when she was alive," Kouji scowled just a bit, as though he smelled something bad. "It made Dad furious. He never bought that Mom was just mourning for her best friend - he assumed they'd been lovers. It's part of the reason he divorced her." He rolled his eyes at Takuya. "He's always been like that."

"Ah…I see." Takuya decided to keep his mouth shut about that. It seemed that the twins and their father didn't get along too well.

"He started traveling 'for work' a while after that. Dumped us off at Mom's to let her take care of us and promised to pay child support," Kouji rolled his eyes again and huffed lightly in annoyance. "At least he's always gotten that right. After he skipped out, it was just us and Mom. She did everything she could to make us happy, to give us a good life…she meant everything to us."

Takuya nodded in understanding. "Still, a single mom with two kids…It must have been tough."

"Sometimes." Kouji shrugged nonchalantly. "But we had what we needed. Mom always made sure of that. And then…"

He stopped again and nibbled his lip, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white. Takuya hesitated a moment longer, then prompted, "And then…?"

"When we…" Kouji gnawed his lip a little more, his eyes narrowed into a glare strong enough to bore a hole in the wall. "When we were ten, Nii-san and I came home from school to find her on the floor of her bedroom…with her head half-sawed off at the neck and her hands nailed into the floor..."

Takuya's jaw fell open. Automatically, he stuttered out a short, shocked sentence. "I-I'm sorry…"

Kouji scowled a bit deeper. He didn't say anything else for a very long time, his arms resting on his knees, refusing to look at Takuya. The expression on his face said that he didn't want any pity, didn't want to listen to anyone apologize anymore, just didn't want to think about it at all…

"Soubi-san approached us at her funeral," he muttered, determined to carry on the story no matter what. "He was a friend of Mother's, back in her School days. A Fighter. He had the same opinion of the School as Mother did…I think his Sacrifice did too. I don't really know…I never met him. He's the one who told us about them…told us that the School had come to take me, and they murdered Mom because she stood in their way. He said they'd come back if we didn't do something…"

"He wound up becoming our legal guardian for as long as Dad was out of the country." Kouji sighed again, turning his head up once more, and touched the scar on his arm in a nostalgic manner. "We didn't live with him, but he's the one who made sure we were okay…and he trained us. Some nights, all he would do is make us dinner, or help us with New Year's cleaning, stuff like that. Other times, it was all work - training with words, with casting spells, the best combinations for our talents, or conditioning us against pain. Sometimes, we'd train until one of us passed out or collapsed, but Soubi-san was always there to get us cleaned up, tuck us into bed and lock up the apartment on his way out. And when the School came after us, the first few times, he was always there to guide us through the fights, help us figure out the best way to handle the situation. He really…took care of us."

"He sounds nice," Takuya agreed, but something didn't quite ring right in his mind. Kimura's reaction, the violence that was so unlike him, and his cold nature afterwards… "So why does he bother Kimura so much?"

Kouji sighed again and reached back to tighten the band which held his ponytail in place almost nervously. "That was my fault, really."

Takuya leaned forward. "How was it your fault?"

"I…I wanted to get stronger." Kouji frowned a bit, his cheeks a light pink in embarrassment. "After two years of work, there was still something Soubi-san refused to do with us. It was another level of training, for making the bond stronger, but it was something that the School does, and Soubi-san was reluctant to put me through it. When Nii-san heard about it, he got scared, too, and told me that he didn't want me doing anything like it. But…I wanted to be stronger, to help him. To take care of him. So I begged Soubi-san to let me do it, without telling Nii-san."

Takuya shifted uncomfortably. "What…What was it?"

"'It's a combination of physical and mental stimulation to temper the bonds of loyalty on multiple levels with one exercise,'" Kouji muttered, quoting something that Soubi-san had said. "For all his fancy words, it was simple enough…a whipping. He'd use a riding crop on my back without a shirt, just a few lashes, and between every one he'd have me repeat a line about being loyal to my Sacrifice…to Nii-san. Soubi-san would never go further than five lashes at a shot, and he always made sure I was strong enough to go with through with it before we started and cleaned me up afterwards. He insisted that the sessions be spread out over several days, to give me time to heal, and if he thought I couldn't handle it that day he wouldn't do it. And it worked, just like he said it would, until…"

He shrugged somewhat helplessly, sheepishly. "Until Nii-san found out."

Takuya winced at the thought, for both of their sakes. "Ugh. What happened?"

"…He got really mad," Kouji sighed, rubbing his right cheek lightly. "It's the only time I've ever seen him his someone…he slapped Soubi-san across the face and yelled at both of us. He told Soubi-san exactly what he said today…to stay away from me, from both of us, and not show his face again…and dragged me home before I could explain anything. When he found out I'd asked Soubi to do it, even though he'd asked me not too, he got even madder…and he didn't speak to me for a month." He shrugged again, shaking his head. "My longest punishment ever. I had to sleep on the couch the whole time. After that, we didn't see Soubi-san again, until today."

"Ouch." Takuya whistled lightly, his brown eyes wide. "That's just…wow."

"Yeah, I guess." Kouji's scowl deepened, and his normal sullen attitude returned as he turned back to glare at him. "And that's our story. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"What? No! I…I mean…"

"I'm home."

The front door clicked shut and Kouichi stepped into the apartment, carrying two plastic bags in his hands and keeping his gaze perfectly straight. Kouji followed longingly with his eyes as the older twin made his way directly into the kitchenette and began unpacking the groceries. "Will you be staying for dinner, Kanbara-kun?"

"Uh…No, no I don't think so." Takuya climbed to his feet, brushing himself off awkwardly, feeling the heavy atmosphere of their argument clinging to him like static electricity. "Honestly, I really need to be getting home about now…M-Mom's probably worried and all."

"Indeed," Kouichi sighed, still focusing on the food determinedly. "Well then, we'll see you at school tomorrow, Kanbara-kun."

"Yeah…sure. Tomorrow." Takuya slipped into the entry hall, slipping on his shoes without tying them, and backed towards the door as though behind faced down by a wild animal. "S-See you guys then."

The moment his hand reached the doorknob, he darted out and slammed the door behind him.

Kouji took a deep breath, bracing himself, and made his way into the kitchen area as well. His brother immediately turned his back to him, working over the vegetables that he had bought with a sharp knife. Kouji slipped behind him carefully, quietly, and slipped his arms around the other's waist, resting his head on the other's shoulder.

"…I told Kanbara about Mama and Soubi. About us. I told him everything. Just like you wanted."

Kouichi said nothing, nor did he move to do anything, besides reaching for another vegetable. A long silence followed, broken up only by the sound of metal against wood as Kouichi chopped a long carrot into bite-sized pieces suitable for stew.

"I'm sorry," Kouji whispered, tightening his grip just a bit. "I shouldn't have mentioned the training, and I know…I know you don't want Soubi-san around. I know that you don't like him."

"I hate him." The elder said shortly, starting the same process on a cucumber. "He hurt you."

"I asked him to…"

"That just makes it worse."

"I know." Kouji tightened his grip again and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Kouichi used the knife to slide the vegetables he had chopped off the cutting board and into a dish, leaving both on the counter in front of him. "We don't need Agatsuma to help Kanbara-kun." He muttered sourly. "We don't need his training, his experience or his assitance. We don't need _him_."

"You're right." Kouji hugged him again. "We don't."

Once more, a silence fell over the apartment, heavy and serious.

"I love you."

Kouichi turned back to his brother, looking up at him with red eyes and a sigh. "I love you, too."

Kouji smiled to himself, kissed his brother's lips, and went to find the pots that they would need to fix tonight's dinner.

_**TBC…**_


	9. Watch Where You're Going

Once again, I apologize for the delay. Between the really weird weather we've been having down here (we had six inches of snow on Easter…) I've found that I'm on a real Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kick lately, and that's been occupying a lot of my time. Plus, I just can't concentrate. So if this chapter seems a little, well, underwhelming...I'm sorry. Really sorry. I'll try to get off this kick of distraction as soon as I can.

**_Disclaimer:_ **_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 8: Watch Where You're Going**

Takuya walked home that evening in a daze, feeling more confused than anything else. Kouji's story was looping through his head over and over, distracting him, confusing him. He was trying to focus on other things - on dinner, on schoolwork, on anything - but there was nothing that could draw his mind away from the same thoughts.

The story was…not what he had been expecting. Well, honestly, he wasn't really sure what he _had_ been expecting, but the story was anything but, well, anything. He normally didn't delve that much into his friends' homes or family life - he noted certain boundaries and tended to stay away from them. This was much, much deeper than he had ever dared to delve before, almost ridiculously so.

…Had their mother really _died_ that way?

Takuya was so lost in his thoughts that he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, or what was on the street in front of him. As such, he didn't realize that one of the players in his constant merry-go-round of thoughts - namely, the fellow he now knew as Soubi Agatsuma - was there until he practically ran into him.

Agatsuma-san chuckled. "I would think that someone in your situation would be a bit more careful about where he was walking."

Takuya leapt back, startled. "You!"

"Yes, it's me," another light chuckle. Takuya's body tensed a bit, his jaw setting heavily, which made the older man grin a bit. "I take it that one of them finally decided that you could be trusted with information about our…personal…relationship."

"Just…don't come any closer, okay?" Takuya nibbled his lip. Kouji had a certain amount of respect for this man, but in all honesty, he trusted Kouichi's judgment more. And Kouichi _didn't_ like him even a little.

But Soubi just laughed again, knocking out a cigarette from his pack coolly. He slipped it into his mouth and pulled out his lighter. "Those boys are so interesting, aren't they? Now that they've been willing to loosen their tongues about me, I'll take it that you now know everything about their history, ne?"

Takuya didn't answer. Soubi finally lit his cigarette and took a deep drag, blowing the smoke away from them both coolly. His smile was pleasant and his teeth, which Takuya could see now that he was close enough, were pearl white without even a hint of tobacco stain. Takuya couldn't help musing that he must spend a fortune on dental work to keep his teeth looking that good.

"Those boys have a real power in them, you know," Soubi said in an off-hand manner, as though he was talking about the weather with an old friend. "It's the kind of strength that all the players want, but not necessarily because they understand. Their unique relationship makes it a hard concept for most people to grasp…"

Something flared in Takuya's mind, and his mouth asked before he could think of it. "Unique?"

"You've noticed," Soubi's grin extended just a bit, "haven't you? There is nothing about those boys themselves that is really of any importance, but their _relationship_ is a special one. They're much, much more than just brothers."

Takuya's eyebrows shot to his hairline. The rumors returned to his mind yet again, the nasty things spreading through the school about the twins, their relationship, and their home. "They're…not?"

"Naturally," Soubi took another drag, closing his eyes. "Those two can be anything to one another. Anything at all. Any gap that needs to be filled, any connection of the heart that either of they may need - each can fill it for the other. At any given moment, at any given time, they can be brothers…best friends…life-long companions, battle partners, master and servant, trusted confidents…lovers…"

Takuya choked on the last one, but Soubi continued without missing a beat. "Anything that you can think of, anything at all, they are to one another. That is their nature, that is their life. There is nothing more that either of them could ever want nor need. They complete each other, quite literally.

"Of course, not everyone can be so fortunate," he took another long drag and chuckled to himself. "The rest of us are limited to stumbling around through the darkness of our lives, blindly searching for any bits of clue that we can find in a desperate, futile attempt to locate that one thing that we are all missing in our lives."

He sighed, shook his head, and turned to Takuya with a light, almost playful-looking smile. "If you would like, though, I do have a little light that could be shed over _your_ journey, Kanbara_-kun_."

Takuya tensed again, especially at the ending on his name, though he didn't know why. It was perfectly acceptable, from a social point of view, for Agatsuma to call him _kun_ - he was several years younger than the blonde, after all. But for some reason, he just didn't like it. "What kind of…'Light'?"

Another sly smile crept over Agatsuma's face. "Would you like to know your Name?"

"I already know my name…"

"No. Your _Name_."

For a moment, Takuya stopped breathing altogether. His Name…his True Name. That was the reason that the school was after him, wasn't it? Because of his Name. They wanted him, because of his Name, because of some sort of power that he had whether he realized he had it or not. That was the reason that they…

"No."

Soubi lifted a pale eyebrow curiously. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Takuya gripped his hands into fists at his side. "I'm sure. I'm definitely sure. I don't…Don't want to hear it. Not from you."

Soubi took in one last drag before he dropped the cigarette to the ground, rubbing it into the sidewalk with the toe of his boot.

"As you wish," he said calmly, slipping his hands into his pockets. He set off down the street at an easy pace, brushing past Takuya to do so. He tweaked one of the brown kitty ears as he walked by and smirked just a bit wider. "See you around…Kanbara-kun."

Takuya tensed just a bit, waiting until the man was well gone because he relaxed again. His body tingled with nervous energy, but his actual nerves were shot. At the moment, all he really wanted to do was go home and lie down for a little bit. For the night. Maybe for the rest of the week. That's about how long it would take for him to sort this whole thing out…

For the second time that day, Takuya ran into someone because he hadn't been paying attention. This new person, however, was not tall and strong, but around his size and a good deal thinner. They were also not striding purposefully down the sidewalk with long, measured steps, instead jogging lightly as though attempting to get away from something and not looking where they were going either. As a result, when Takuya and this new person collided, the energy between them bounced back onto them both, knocking both figures to the ground with light cries of surprise.

Takuya sat up first, groaning and rubbing his head where he had hit it during his fall. "Ow…man, watch where you're going."

"I'm so sorry!" A higher, slightly more nervous voice exclaimed, breaking his thoughts. "I wasn't watching where I was going, and I thought I heard someone come up behind me, and…"

It was only then that Takuya e registered that the other person picking themselves off the ground was a girl.

He opened his eyes fully and looked up to find that she was not _just_ a girl, she was a very _pretty_ girl, much prettier than the girls in class. She was taller than they were, and paler, with a strange kind of exotic air that Takuya couldn't quite put his finger on. Her hair was long and straight blonde, falling to her waist but tied back from her eyes with a dark blue headband, and her eyes were the most beautiful crystal blue that he had ever seen. Her ears mostly matched her hair color, except for the tips, which looked as though they had been dipped in black ink, and her long-furred tail bore a similar pattern. She was dressed very strangely, almost as though she had been prepared for a mid-winter gym class. She wore a slate grey hoodie with purple lining and inch-thick purple strips running over the seams, a dark blue t-shirt poking out from under it. Her skirt, which was very thick, had the same colors and patterns and seemed to have come with the set. With this, she wore thick navy blue stockings, meant for winter wear, and a pair of dirty grey tennis shoes. Behind her on the ground was a dark blue backpack, which had fallen out of her grasp when she hit the ground.

For a moment, Takuya just stared at her.

For a moment, she just stared back at him.

There was something…there. Takuya couldn't quite figure it out, but he did know, there was something there. Maybe it meant something, maybe something special was about to happen…

Or maybe he'd just run head-long into a really, really cute girl.

He grinned at her. "Hey."

She grinned back, a bit more shyly. "Hey."

Takuya's evening was starting to look up already.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Making up after the fight almost made up for arguing in the first place.

The atmosphere of their little apartment was cozy and warm despite the autumn chill that was settling in outside. They had no fireplace, but there were a few scented candles hidden away in one of the cupboards, which Kouji had liberally scattered around the living room, filling the darkened room with a soft orange glow. Kouichi was enjoying himself, watching the flames dance and the shadows that they cast as the soothing scents of vanilla, cinnamon and dried leaves filled the room.

Kouji was in the kitchen, presumably putting the finishing touches on dinner. Kouichi had been reluctant to allow this - Kouji's cooking often resulted in blackened pots and pans that took hours of scrubbing before they were usable again. But Kouji had been insistant to make up for what had happened earlier that day and, after much coaxing and promises to keep it simple, Kouichi had relented.

He mused over the warm reception with a smile on his face. Though they were rare, there were times when Kouji could be extremely romantic, normally when he was trying to cheer the elder twin up or make up for something that he had gone wrong. Tonight, it was enough that Kouichi almost wished their fights would happen a bit more often.

Almost, but not quite.

"Here we go," Kouji announced with a warm smile, carrying a tray of food into the room and setting it in front of his brother. "All done."

Kouichi leaned forward and cracked a smile when he saw what Kouji had made. There, accompanied by two neatly-folded napkins, wrapped around freshly-shined metal spoons, and a single stem of bluebonnets, were two big bowls of Cheerios in skim milk. "Oh, Kouji…"

"What?" The younger twin frowned just a little, settling next him on the couch. "I know it's not much, but you didn't want me to use the stove, so…"

"No…No, it looks great." Kouichi grinned at his brother and lifted one of the bowls into his lap, careful not to spill. "Everything looks great. It's wonderful. Thank you."

Kouji's smile softened, putting an arm around his brother. Kouichi nestled into the embrace with a sigh, settling back to lean against his brother's body, resting his head on the other's shoulder. "It's been too long since we've been able to be together like this…just you and me."

"Yeah…" Kouji pulled his brother a bit closer. "It's a shame."

"Mm-hm…It really is."

Kouichi dipped the spoon into his bowl, taking a bite of the cereal. It was only wheat and milk, simple enough that a child could have made it, but just the fact that Kouji had put it together made the meal feel…somehow…special.

Kouji was just reaching over for his own bowl, but just as he lifted it into his hands a ringing, pulsing sensation rang through his mind. Even though he knew what it was, the suddenness of it made him drop the bowl in surprise, spilling cereal and milk everywhere, and he grabbed his temples in pain.

"Kouji?" Kouichi asked worriedly, putting down his bowl and touching his brother's shoulder. "What is it, what's wrong?"

Kouji grit his teeth as the pulsing grew stronger, louder, and swore under his breath. "Damn them. Damn every last one of them."

Kouichi's eyes widened a bit as he understood. "Another Unit? Already?"

"Damn them for running our night." Kouji snarled again, glancing at his brother with eyes that were something between angry and disappointed. "I guess we have to, don't we?"

Kouichi nodded with a little sigh. "I'm sorry, Kouji."

"Damn them all," Kouji swore again, and stood. "Let's go. I'm ready to kick somebody's ass for this."

_**TBC…**_

Yeah, short chapter, but I'm in a bit of a rut. Maybe this new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fic I've been thinking of will loosen me up a bit…

In case you're wondering, in my mind Izumi is a Himalayan Siamese. We had one of those when I was a kid (poor, retarded victim of genetic inbreeding though he was…) and they're very pretty cats.


	10. Fearless

Er…hey everybody. Sorry for the erratic updating, but I'm in a slump. I know I get into slumps on occasion, but this is a big one. I mean, a big time, major depression mode, end-of-the-year, bad transition into the real world kind of slump. I need to go see my shrink…

On a less depressing note, blatant Takumi in this chapter! Whoot! Not to mention the appearance of a favorite couple that I've kept quiet for a while. In a slightly new form, of course, but hey, it's an AU.

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 9: Fearless**

The sound of heavy boots on hard concrete echoed off the walls of the small ally with a rhythm that was almost thoughtful. They lumbered along, keeping time with a little song that was being hummed in the shadows, before a feminine growl cut the entire show short. "Ryo, do you _have _to make so much noise?"

The boots stopped and he chuckled, glancing back at her with brown eyes that gleamed mischievously even in the shadow of the fading sunset. "What's the matter, pumpkin? Not interested in a little song?"

"No." A light scowl, tinted by a translucent purple lip gloss, played across her face as naturally as a smile would have on anyone else. "I'm _interested _in finding that girl and getting _back_ to the School so we can get this stupid ordeal over with."

Again, he chuckled, rocking back onto his heels and opening his mouth as though to respond. But before he could, something sparked at the base of his neck, and he snapped his head around.

Noticing this, she tensed with him, he hands gripping into fists. "What is it?"

"…Visitors," he turned, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking out of the alley. "Trackers. Looks like somebody heard we were coming."

She gritted her teeth. "Is it those two?"

"Feels like it," He relaxed a bit, sinking into a confident half-slouch, lifting his head in a noble fashion. "They certainly _are_ protective, aren't they? Like a little pair of wolves."

She narrowed her eyes, which gleamed viciously like amethysts laced with poison. "We're _not_ running away."

"Naturally," he popped his knuckled and grinned as the identical footsteps drew closer and close to them. "This is going to be fun…"

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Her name was Izumi, and she was the cutest, most beautiful girl in the world.

Her blonde hair practically glowed in the sunlight, the subtle variations of pale yellow highlights standing out like a beacon to eyes culturally adapted to various shades of brown and black. Her eyes were bright, sparkling blue, clearer than anything he had ever seen, even clearer than the city pool on the first day of summer, when it had just been cleaned and filled and nobody had been in it yet. When she laughed, it sounded like a wooden wind chime in a gentle breeze, and when she smiled, it lit up the room as suddenly as wind blowing a cloud away from the sun.

Naturally enough, when faced by such a beauty, Takuya was completely smitten.

"So, you're new in town, right?" He asked over the ice cream sundae they were sharing in the booth of the little ice cream parlor. At her slightly nervous glance, he quickly added on, "Just, you know, since I've never seen you around before."

She shifted again, crossing her legs at the ankle and uncrossing them a second later. "Well…Yeah. I used to live here when I was little, but I…moved…when I was a kid. I don't even really remember the town that well."

"Oh…" Takuya was quiet a moment, licking his spoon thoughtfully, then grinned. "Well then, how about I show you around? You know, if you don't have anything else to do."

Izumi looked surprised. "Could you really? I…I mean, you don't have anybody who's waiting for you?"

"Who, me? Nah!" Takuya grinned brightly, leaning back in his chair. "My mom's real easy going about this kind of thing. As long as I call in before the trains stop runnin', she doesn't mind at all. It's not a school night, after all."

For a moment, she looked concerned, as though she had something important that she wanted to tell him, something painful. But in a spilt second, that expression disappeared, and she was smiling at him. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

And Takuya was now completely and totally certain that she had the most beautiful smile in the world.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Kouji scowled at the pair at the other end of the alley, studying them with all of his senses before deciding to make any moves.

The boy in front of them was obviously the Fighter. He stood tall and straight, confident of his own abilities but not so confident that he would make a simple mistake. His skin was tanned brown, scuffed up in a way that emphasized his handsome features so well that it looked almost purposeful. His hair was brown, spiked almost straight up, and his eyes were a pleasant auburn brown. His body was strong, like he worked out often, and was just as ready for a fight as Kouji was. He dressed in a heavy red sweater, loose brown cargo pants, and heavy brown army boots, looking like he was ready to take on anything in the world.

The girl behind him - the Sacrifice - was no less impressive. Her hair was a vibrant red, done up in a shocking ponytail that formed almost violent spikes, a few lose pieces falling into the sharply narrowed amethyst purple eyes that were nicely matched by the almost unnoticeable purple lip gloss. She was smaller than the boy, slighter, but no less strong nor demanding. She dressed impressively, as well - a long brown trench coat swept the ground dramatically, open to reveal the tattered blue jeans, two layers of brown belts, and a white shirt decorated with a broken purple heart.

What's more, their aura was unlike anything that Kouji had ever felt. It wasn't that it was completely different, just that it was…strange. Tempered. Calm. And yet, he could feel the power lurking deep within them, the strength of their bond…

They had been specially trained for a specific task. This fight would not be an easy one.

"Kouji?" His brother's voice broke through his thoughts softly, touching his arm. "What is it?"

Kouji was quiet a moment more, debating with himself, but finally decided to admit the truth. "We're in trouble, Nii-san."

At that, the boy laughed. Kouji twisted back and glared at him, his temper riled. "What the hell is so funny?"

"The two of you," Ryo leaned back, crossing his arms. "You act so tough, but really you're scared stiff. What's the point of sticking around if you already know we're going to blow you away?"

Kouji grit his teeth, annoyed by the cocky attitude. "This is our home. We're not about to let any of the School's flunkies cause trouble here."

Kouichi stepped forward then, addressing the girl this time. "And we're not letting you take Kanbara-kun, either."

"We're not interested in you or your little friend," Ruki said coldly, glaring down her nose at them. "That's grunt work. We're _specialists_. We've got bigger fish to fry."

Kouichi's brow furrowed. "Like what?"

The redhead glanced at her Fighter and nodded sharply. The boy reached into his pocket, digging out a small photograph and tossed it to Kouji with all the skill of a magician throwing cards. Kouji caught it, holding it out so his brother could see the simple head shot of a pretty young girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Who's this?"

"A runway from our School," Ruki said simply, her voice unemotional. "She has broken the rules and must be returned for disciplinary actions. We are here to locate her."

Kouichi's eyes widened just a bit. "You're Monitors?"

"That's right," Ryo smirked, slipping his hands into his pockets and turning his back to them. "So, since we don't have any actually business with you, all you have to do is step aside and we won't have to hurt you."

"We're not moving."

Ruki narrowed her eyes sharply at the opposite Sacrifice. "What did you say?"

"We're not moving," Kouichi insisted, gripping the picture tightly. "If this girl ran away, there must have been a reason, a good one. You don't have any right to 'discipline' her for _anything_."

The girl bristled. His impudence had struck a particularly sensitive nerve. "You think that you can order us around?" She growled as she pushed forward, gripping her hands into fists. "A pair of losers like you without any schooling at all think you can tell _us_ what to do? Do you even _know_ who we are?"

"Ruki, don't loose your temper," Ryo warned, reaching out to grab her arm and pull her back cautiously. "Remember what Sensei said. A cool head wins more fights than a hot one."

The redhead grit her teeth, but forced herself to relax. "Right…"

"You sure think pretty highly of yourselves," Kouji muttered, crossing his arms in disgust and resisting the urge to murder the thoughts of stuck-up school watchdogs that were going through his mind. "Just who do you guys think you are? What makes you so different from the others?"

Ryo frowned, turning his hand to grip his partner's tightly as he faced them. "Our name is Fearless," he whispered, narrowing his eyes. "And we are different because we have no fear. No fears, no weaknesses."

"The lack of something is always a weakness," Kouichi corrected, gritting his teeth. "It leaves an opening for a _balanced _opponent to break through."

Ruki frowned. "Just keep telling yourselves that."

A potent silence filled the little alleyway, making the tension so thick that it was almost hard to breathe. Kouichi reached out to grip his brother's arm with both hands, one covering their scar, the other holding onto his wrist. Kouji gripped his fists, plotting their strategy, and calculating every possible move in preparation for the upcoming battle…

"Right," Ryo grinned, already opening his side of the field, which crackled with blue energy. "Let's get started, then."

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

"Huh?"

Izumi turned suddenly, a tickling at the back of her neck. Her hands gripped the railing of the bridge that she was crossing on instinct, and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. The wind blew past her, chilling her too-thin form to the bone, but the shiver that ran through her was more than the cold.

Something was happening…

"Izumi-san?"

She jerked herself out of her thoughts, turning back to the boy that stood with her. The fading red of the setting sun suited him, bringing out the dusty copper of his cheeks as the shadows emphasized the level of his concerned gaze. "Are you okay? You look…kinda pale."

Izumi shook herself and pushed a smile onto her face. "It's nothing. Don't worry."

"Okay…" He smiled again, offering her his hand. "Come on. We want to make it to the park before sunset, right? It'll be worth it, I promise."

This time, her smile was real, and she took his hand. "It sounds great."

And as they continued on, she spared one last glance behind her, but decided not to worry anymore. She just had to convince her mind exactly what she had so easily convinced Takuya.

There was nothing wrong…Nothing at all.

_**TBC…**_

Heh…Okay, yeah. I love Ryo and Ruki. Tamers was never my favorite season - just not the right vibe for me, you know? But these two were always favorites of mine, particularly the way that they act together. I've rarely worked with them, so I hope I have a good handle on their characters. Heh…Ruki and Kouji…if there was ever a pair more likely to get into a fight purely because of their own pride, I sure don't know them.

And besides that, I like Takumi too, and I finally got it a little more obvious. Wee!

Sorry for the shortness of the chapters. As I've said, I'm in a slump. The next battle should be good, though, so just hold on a bit longer until I fight through graduation.


	11. Facing the Monitors Pt 1

Gomen gomen _gomen_ for the long wait and the sucky-short chapter. I worked on this chapter for two weeks straight, and this is all I could manage. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I'm going through a lot of things right now (like getting ready for college, my dad's birthday, random flashes of inspiration on things I'm not actually supposed to be working on…) and, as a result, this chapter is actually half of what it was supposed to be. Once again, gomen nasai to the extreme, I promise I'll do better next time and I'll try to have the next chapter of X-Evolution up some time soon. I'm going to two youth workshops very soon without internet access, but I'll try to get it finished as soon as humanly possible. Enjoy what I've got, and again, I'm very very sorry for the extended wait without much to show for it.

Balance

Chapter 9: Facing the Monitors Pt. 1

Kouji's defensive spell collided with Ryo's attack, shattering both into intangible pieces that showered down like pixie dust. Kouichi winced, backing away and shielding his eyes with his arm to keep the dust out. Kouji's body was tense, crouched down in a low fighting stance, his hands gripped into tight fists, ready for any assault.

Fearless, on the other hand, were calm and cool as cucumbers. Ruki actually looked a bit cocky, her head lifted high.

"Tired already?" She taunted, her arms crossed over her chest arrogantly. "Or is your _fear_ of failure weighing you down?"

Kouichi licked his lips as he concentrated. "Don't let her distract you, Kouji."

"Yeah…" Kouji reached back and squeezed his twin's hand. "…you, too. Don't let it get to you."

"I'll try…"

Ryo smirked, his perfect white teeth gleaming through the shadow that filled the narrow alleyway. A single bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head, betraying his body's tenseness even while showcasing his concentration. One of his hands sparked like a live wire, and the thought made Kouji wince unconsciously. The only way that someone could develop a technique like that without using their Words was to be exposed to repeated electric shocks while their aura was activated. It was a painful technique, and a dangerous one…one that most people would avoid even more than the plague.

These people had to be crazy. Crazy and dangerous. Yet, for some reason, Kouji felt an odd kind of excitement growing in the bottom of his chest, an uncontrolled, almost wild expectation.

This was going to be a fight to remember.

Ryo clenched his fists, the electricity crackling between his fingers, and grinned, holding his next move on the tip of his tongue.

_"Defen-" _Kouji didn't have time to form the word before the spell hit him, physically knocking him back. "Shit!"

Behind him, his brother grunted painfully, biting his lip to muffle the cry that tried to spring from him. Kouji stole a glance back at him to see the damage, and his heart flared angrily.

There were bindings firmly on Kouichi's wrists, but they were anything but the normal leather or metal cuffs. Instead, his arms were bound together with loops of razor wire, looped and bound into a figure-8 shape, and slicing into his skin with every small movement. Already, trickles of blood were running down his arms, staining his clothes red.

Kouji's eyes widened in horror, and he swore again under his breath. "Nii-san…"

"I'm fine…" Kouichi grimaced a bit, looking at Kouji out of just one eye. "I'm fine, I can handle it. Keep going, Kouji. Just keep going."

Across the arena, Rika clicked her tongue in disgust, crossing her arms. "You know, that's your problem right there."

"What?" Kouji spat, twisting back around.

"The reason you'll never beat us," the girl rattled off coolly. "You're far too… _sentimental_…with each other. It makes you weak." Her purple eyes flashed to Kouichi, addressing him as peers, but nothing like equals. "If you want him to defend you, you should control him, every inch of hm. Otherwise, you're not using all of your tools to their full efficiency."

Kouji growled, but didn't answer, keeping his eyes on Ryo. Kouichi shook his head. "I won't do that. He's not a 'tool.'"

"A Fighter is always a tool," Ruki shrugged simply and reached out to place a hand on Ryo's shoulder. "It is their destiny to do what their Sacrifice tells them. That makes them a tool - the greatest tool anyone will ever own."

Kouichi bit his lip. "You don't believe that."

A flash of fire flickered across Ruki's eyes, revealing the anger that her concentrated stance wouldn't show. She lowered her hand from her partner's shoulder. "Ryo?"

Kouji spun around, but this time it wasn't to glare, it was to take advantage of the gap between the attack and his opponent's reaction time.

At his command, the dim light that had crept along the edge of the battlefield sprung to life, shooting from its beams to shower Fearless with vibrant sparks. It wrapped around Ruki's wrists and neck, producing thin leather cuffs and string-like chains. The bonds were not tight at all, and Ruki's determined stance never changed, serving only to make her look more threatening than before.

Ryo glanced back at his partner, making sure that she was in no danger, and the girl just narrowed her eyes at him, communicating more than the twins could tell. "Ryo…"

A light smirk slipped across Ryo's face, accompanied by a slight bow. "As you wish, pumpkin."

He turned back to the twins, who tensed in reaction. Kouji already had a defensive spell on the tip of his tongue, but it would be no use. Ryo lifted one hand, showing that he had quite a firm grip on the metal wire that wrapped around Kouichi's body, and barely gave them time to realize what was happening before he clenched his fist around it.

Forks of electricity shot down the metal length, running through the coils like a giant conductor to amplify its power. Kouichi couldn't stop the cry that escaped his lips as the electricity ran through his body, jerking violently, and clenched his teeth together to force it to cut off. The electricity died down after a moment, leaving behind the light scent of charred flesh.

Kouji grit his teeth at the noise and the smell. This was awful, it was horrible, and he couldn't let this happen…he had to finish this _now_, but if he couldn't, Kouichi would just be hurt even worse than he actually was. The only completely safe idea was to retreat…

"Kouji…"

The boy twisted as his brother's weakened words tore at his heart. "Nii-san?"

"Don't stop!" Kouichi insisted, gritting his teeth. He clenched his fists together within their bonds, though they were shaking lightly with pain. "Just…keep going, Kouji. Keep fighting."

The younger brother wavered, his stance uncertain. "Nii-san…"

"You haven't looked like that in a long time," a light smile flickered over Kouichi face. "You…You're enjoying this. It's like a challenge. You want to get everything you can out of this fight." He straightened to his full height again, no sign of pain on his face even though the barbs dug into his skin. "I'll keep fighting as long as you want, Kouji."

Ruki growled low in her throat. "Idiot. When you're that tied up, you should force a retreat."

"I can't do that," Kouichi insisted again, setting his jaw. "I won't."

Ruki growled again, but this time it was Ryo who stepped forward to answer. "You're clearly outmatched, Balance. We're stronger than you. This match is already over."

"You're wrong about that…" Kouji muttered, clenching and unclenching his fists as he coiled every muscle in his body for another strike. His navy eyes sparked like the electricity from before, becoming alight in the dim as he reached for his brother with one hand. "This is just the beginning."


	12. Facing the Monitors Pt 2

And once again…my fight scenes suck big time. (dies from lack of ingenuity during fights) But I think I got through what I wanted to do, so…meh…

**__**

Disclaimer: _I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

****

Balance

Chapter 11: Facing the Monitors Pt. 2

After about an hour, even someone as completely lost in the moment and with his head as far up in the clouds as Takuya was could notice the light trembling that ran through his companion's body. She was so thin that it was a testament to his hazy perception of the world that he hadn't noticed it - her body was shaking so hard it was a surprise that she could stay on her feet.

At first, Takuya thought that it was just the cold. People shivered more as it got closer to nighttime, didn't they? But her nervous glancing around soon began to bother him, and he leaned towards her to speak with her. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" she insisted, a bit too quickly, then too slowly as she forced herself to calm down. "It's…nothing. Really."

"Well…" He shifted uncertainly in his own shoes, frowning. "If you're sure…"

Apparently, his concerned staring got to her more than he had intended to, because she sighed and glanced away from him. "I…I feel something."

Takuya blinked at her, not quite understanding. "Uh…'feel'?"

"…Yeah." She sighed again and pushed a lock of hair away from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. She was gazing towards the fading lights of the city, as though trying to pin-point a certain object's location with her eyes. "I feel like…Something… Some_one_…is in trouble."

Takuya frowned, and his forehead wrinkled a bit so that his eyebrows scrunched up together. "Well…if somebody's in trouble, don't you think we should, you know, help them?"

Again, Izumi avoided his eye and nibbled on her lip. "I…I don't know."

Takuya raised an eyebrow, but pressed on. "It wouldn't be right to just leave them there, would it?"

"Well, no…"

"And if you're the only one who knows they're in trouble, then they could really be hurt if we don't do anything," he added gently, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Right?"

"Yeah…right…"

Takuya squeezed her shoulders gently, soothing her tense muscles, and bent his head a bit to look into her pretty blue eyes. "So…what do you say we go give them a hand?"

Izumi sighed, but nodded her head. She took his hand and lead him away, and as she did so, she didn't tremble, not even once.

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji grit his teeth, trying to ignore the exhaustion that racked his body and, even more so, his brother's struggling gasps behind him. His enjoyment of the moment was wavering with each drop of blood that dripped from Kouichi's multiple wounds, as barbed and razor wire looped around his chest and curled down his legs, cutting into him with each little movement.

Ruki and Ryo, on the other hand, had barely been touched - at least, not physically. Only the cuffs and collar they had managed to But both of their attitudes had changed, loosing the hostile confidence and taking on a feeling of confusion, anger and dread.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, you moron?" Ruki sneered to Kouichi as Kouji deflected another one of Ryo's shots with a steadily- weakening shield. "You stretch this out much longer and you're going to get torn to shreds!"

Inexplicably, the elder of the two twins grinned, looking up at the girl with only one half-opened eye. "I…I'm not going to back down. Ever."

"But _why_, you idiot?" Ruki's voice rose into a shout, her purple eyes blazing in the dark. "Why the hell would you put yourself through all this shit? What the hell is the point? I'm starting to think that you're just trying to annoy the hell out of me!"

Another slight smile, more sad this time. "That's…not it."

"Then what is 'it'?"

Kouji took advantage of the other Sacrifice's distraction to jump in with an attack. _"Light, cut!"_

_"Defend!" _Ryo stepped between the attack and his Sacrifice, the shield deflecting it easily. He reached back with one arm, touching his partner's shoulder. "Ruki, stay back, it's dangerous."

But once again, as though she had not heard a word that he had said, the girl stepped forward again. Her amethyst eyes were blazing in Kouichi's direction angrily. "Answer me, you bastard! What is 'it'? What do you think you have that I don't?"

"Nothing…" Kouichi's voice was soft, which instantly made Kouji worried again. Was his brother simply pulling himself away from the fight because he was scared, or was he really hurt that badly…? "I have exactly what you have, Ruki-san. And I'm not… willing to lose him."

Ruki narrowed her eyes, her confused frustration showing through again, but as Kouichi leaned forward to rest his forehead against his brother's shoulder, she figured it out. "Your Fighter?"

A bit of a smile crossed over Kouichi's face. "That's right."

"You're worried about _losing_ him?" Ruki asked incredulously, her face twisted into a scowl. "We're not interested in you. We're after the girl."

"It doesn't matter," Kouichi closed his eyes, sighing. "If School's got you, then their bound to have others just as strong, or stronger. And if we lose to you, they'll come after us all over again…"

"Then you should have accepted their invitation in the first place," Ryo hissed, his voice low. "Then you wouldn't be so terrified of being separated. They'd teach you the right way to do it."

Kouji growled, his eyes narrowed. "The 'right' way?"

"No…" Kouichi shook his head. "Their way could never be right. The way that they treat their Fighters…"

"A Fighter Unit is a tool to further your goals," Ruki snapped. "And nothing more!"

"You don't believe that."

That was the last straw. Ruki's hands clenched into tight fists, her nails digging into her skin, and she screamed in frustration. "How the hell do you know what I think?"

"If you believed that, you wouldn't be willing to take his pain for him."

Ruki stopped dead, her tense muscles going slack. Ryo stopped, his composure slipping for a split moment. Kouji twisted back to stare at his brother, wide-eyed, realizing that, somewhere along the way, the battle had stopped being about the fight itself, and had become about this moment, this point being made in the face of someone who needed to hear it…

"Minamoto? Kimura!"

Eyes snapped to the entrance of the alleyway as Takuya appeared, a pretty blonde-haired girl trailing just behind him. The girl slide to a stop and gasped at the sight of blood, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth, and Takuya swore. "Holy shit…"

Ryo, recovering from his previous shock, took advantage of the situation. He snatched up the wire again and fed the electricity in his body directly into it. Kouichi didn't have time to muffle the shout that burst out of him, his body jerking.

"Stop it!" Kouji shouted, losing his composure for a split second as he twisted to face his opponent.

"Just stop it, please!" The strange girl screamed, covering her ears and turning away from the battle. "Please, just let him go! Stop it!"

Takuya gripped his hands into fists and lunged forward, aiming for Ryo and barely even pausing when he reached the edge of their magical 'arena.' "You damn bastard!"

Kouichi stepped back as though he was going stop Takuya, but Kouji moved first, blocking his path and elbowing the brunet hard in the gut. Takuya doubled over, lifting his head to the younger twin angrily. "What the hell are you doing?"

"If you interfere, we lose automatically," Kouji hissed, shoving him back and out of the way. "So butt out."

Takuya hissed a bit, but it came out as a weak little noise because of his winded state. Izumi moved forward, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, and the touch placated him, just a little bit.

"It's not like it's going to matter any," Ryo growled, gripping the wire again and sending a few static-like sparks down its length. "A few seconds is all I need to finish this."

"Ryo…Stop."

The boy turned back to his red-haired partner, both of his eyebrows jumping to his hairline in surprise. As the electricity dispersed, Kouichi dropped forward onto his knees, only avoiding hitting the ground because Kouji dropped down to support him. "Ruki…"

"Just…stop," the girl whispered, pulling her arms into her chest. He strong façade had, for whatever reason, crumpled away into nothing, leaving her as vulnerable and withdrawn as any normal girl. "I don't think…this is such a good idea anymore."

"We can't just back down!" Ryo insisted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Snap out of it, Ruki! If we retreat now, Sensei'll have our hides. We'll be _lucky_ if all we get is expelled. She could strip our Names away, separate us for good!"

Ruki bit her lip and glanced away awkwardly. "I…I know that."

"Then you know I'm not just going to run away from this! Especially win we're _this_ far from winning!"

"It's already over, Ryo."

…

It took a moment for Ryo to process that information. Once he had, he twisted around to make sure that his Sacrifice wasn't pulling one of her usual tricks, feeding him a line to bring his defenses down.

She wasn't.

The magic was already beginning to fade away as the elder of the two twins lost consciousness, the blue-white light flickering into nothingness alongside the loops of wire. Blood still flowed from Kouichi's wounds freely, staining both his clothes and his brother's as Kouji supported him from behind, arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders. The Fighter Unit looked devastated, boarding on tears, and clutched his brother as close as he possibly could.

The moment that the magic had dissipated completely, Takuya rushed forward to check on the twins. He seemed to be even less capable of aid than the flustered Fighter, only able to pull off his jacket and wrap it around the larger wounds uselessly. Izumi hung back, uncertain even of approach.

Kouji shook his brother lightly, trying to get a reaction. "Nii-san…Nii-san…"

"Kou…ji…"

The navy blue eyes cracked half-way open painfully. Kouji smiled, pulling him closer. "Yeah, Nii-san?"

The elder twin let out a sigh, leaning up against the warm body. "I'm…sorry…"

"No…Nii-san, don't…" Kouji's voice took on a pleading down as his brother slipped away into unconsciousness again. "Don't do this to me, please. Please, Nii-san, just hold on, please…"

Ryo stepped back, reaching for Ruki's hand. The girl took it and squeezed lightly, transferring comfort and strength. She leaned up and gently kissed him behind the ear, leaning forward to whisper to him, "We should go home."

"…Yeah," he sighed, lifting her hand to his lips. "You're right. Let's go."

"Wait!"

They turned back for just a moment at the blonde girl's call. She had pushed passed the trio of boys to approach them, a hand pressed tightly to her chest. "You're the Monitors, aren't you? You're here because you came after me."

Ruki's eyebrow quirked curiously. "Orimoto Izumi?"

"Yes."

"You're right. We did come after you," the redhead turned on her heels. "But we're not interested anymore."

Izumi looked somehow relieved, though at the same time rather frightened. But before she could say anything, another voice, cool and calm, broke in. "If you won't take her back, then _we_ will."

Kouji stiffened a bit, pulling his brother closer to his chest protectively, especially as Reflection came into view. Suigin and Yu bore bandages and wounds from their previous encounter, but they had regained their wind and their arrogance in the meantime. They paused a moment, eyeing the Fearless pair from a distance, their cold glares returned.

Ryo's face fell into an expression of neutral disgust. "Reflection."

"Monitors," Suigin glanced the pair up and down, then smirked. "Children. 'Fearless' indeed."

Yu giggled. "Couldn't even finish the fight, could'ya? Too scared!"

"Watch your tongue, _kohai_," Ruki sneered, tensing like an affronted cat. "And mind your place. Younger or not, we outrank you."

"Not for long, you won't," Suigin sniffed, lifting her nose in a condescending manner. "I shall be more than happy to report this treacherous betrayal to Sensei and the rest of the School, now that you've shown your true colors."

"We haven't betrayed anyone!" Ryo raged, but he was ignored.

Suigin turned her silver eyes to Izumi, her impassiveness never fading no matter what. "And you, little girl, are coming with us."

"She's not going anywhere!" Takuya spat, jumping between Izumi and the two intruders. He spread his arms wide, covering her almost completely, and glared. "No freakin' way!"

Yu giggled at this, but Suigin said nothing. She gazed at the boy a moment in the same way that one might glare at a spider in the bathtub, then lifted her eyes to meet Izumi's. "She'll come. If she doesn't care to be the cause of another…_tragedy_…she'll come peacefully, and without a fight."

Kouji stiffed a bit more and growled like a wolf. Takuya echoed his sentiments viciously. "Don't listen to her, 'Zumi. None of this had anything to do with you. You don't have to do anything, I'll cover for you, and…"

"Takuya."

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, prompting the brunet to turn, just a bit. Izumi leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly, then pushed past him and approached Fearless. "I…I'll go with you."

Ruki frowned at her, and Ryo's face softened in concern. "Are you…sure?"

"Yes," the blonde looked almost on the brink of tears, but she kept them from falling as she nodded her head in a low bow. "I'm sorry for all of the trouble that I've caused you, Monitor-sans…and everyone. I'll go back to the School with you now."

Takuya eyes widened. "The School?"

"That's very sweet, hun," Yu giggled, bouncing up to seize Izumi's left wrist. "But Ah'm afraid you ain't got a choice of travelin' company."

"You will return with us, and that is that," Suigin finished, coming to her other side. She seized the smaller girl, somewhat roughly, by the upper arm and steered her away. "Come along, now."

Pulled along by both arms, Izumi managed to spare one glance back at the other teens. For a split moment, her eyes met with Takuya's, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Quietly, she mouthed the words, "I'm sorry."

And then she was gone.

**__**

TBC…


	13. Wounds

Gomen nasai for taking so long for this chapter. My muses flitted over to "Memories" for a while and had far too much fun over there…And then I got onto a Robin fix…and I've got this story in the HP/DF timeline that I want to finish by the end of the month. And my laptop's in the shop.

As a note, I've seen up to volume six of Loveless, and, as always happens when I start a fan fiction in the middle-beginning of the series, it's very different than I thought it would be. So, there are some aspects of this fic that are very different from the Loveless world. The School may or may not be the same place. I have to figure out what the School is up to in the manga before I decide that. I've still got a couple of chapters before I have to decide it definitively, but I just thought I'd warn you…some things are different…

**_Disclaimer:_**_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 12: Wounds**

"Onii-san…Nii-san, answer me!"

Only barely able to control his own fear, Kouji shook his brother ever so gently, hoping and praying for a reaction. Kouichi's head rolled on his shoulders, coming to rest peacefully against the younger twin's chest, but otherwise he did not make any effort to respond. Takuya's jacket, already stained beyond repair, was huddled around him like a blanket, but did nothing to stem away the shuddering tremors that rolled through his body.

Kouji bit his lip, holding in a sob that was threatening to come from him. He held his precious brother closer and looked for their companion. Takuya was still standing where he had been for the past five minutes, staring dumbly at the last place the blonde girl had been standing.

For some reason, it made Kouji furious.

"What do you think you're doing?" He snapped, shaking Takuya out of his revelry. "Nii-san needs help!"

Takuya jerked back physically, suddenly remembering just how wounded his friend now was. He stumbled back a few steps until he'd reached the twins' side, only barely keeping on his feet. He gulped, his eyes trailing around the crimson puddles as though charting the edge of a map. "What…What do I do…?"

Kouji took a deep breath, rubbing the slick saltwater away from his cheeks, inadvertently leaving trails of blood across his face. He was starting to shake as well, less than his brother, but enough so that it was obvious that the adrenaline was draining away and he was beginning to lose control. "We…We need to…to get him home, to clean h-him up and bandage…bandage…"

"Are you nuts?" Takuya demanded, reaching out to grab Kouji by the shoulders. "Look at him! He needs to go to the hospital!"

"He can't."

Takuya jerked around again, his eyes narrowing sharply at the other Fighter Unit, who was approaching them with careful, measured steps. The girl-Sacrifice was behind him, her hand on his shoulder with a guiding touch. "What do you know?"

"I know that those wounds aren't the kind that would be sustained by any action that a normal fourteen-year-old boy would be participating in," Ryo reasoned simply. "And I know that, if you take him to the hospital or the police or any other figure of authority, they'll want to know how he got those wounds. And I know that anything you manage to make up to tell him will only get all of you in more trouble than you can get out of - _especially_ with the School on your tails."

Takuya deflated a bit, but remained tense. The older boy turned looked away from him and focused instead on Kouji. The defiance and strength that normally reflected in the navy blue eyes seemed to have dimmed with his brother's consciousness. The pair had struggled to hard, pushed further than they were quite able to push under the circumstances. The twins were tired. Too tired.

Ryo glanced at his partner for confirmation. Ruki met his eye and nodded once, slowly. The Fighter nodded in understanding and moved forward, reaching out for the fallen Sacrifice.

Defensive instincts immediately flared in Takuya's mind, and he pushed himself between Kouichi and the 'enemy.' "Don't touch him!"

"Chill out, sparky," Ruki whispered, keeping her voice soft. "We're just trying to help."

"Help? You two are the reason he's like this!"

Ryo sighed and glanced backwards at his partner. The girl met his eye and gave one serious nod. The Fighter turned back and pushed past Takuya, giving the younger boy a brief moment of serious eye contact. He almost looked…sad, in a way.

"Sometimes," he said softly, keeping his face neutral but his voice strangely caring, "The victor owes more than the loser does."

Takuya just stared at him for a minute, but the taller boy had already moved on. He knelt beside the defeated pair, slipping his arms under Kouichi's knees and shoulders. Kouji stiffened protectively, but Rye just glanced at him calmly. "I'll help you carry him. Where do you need to go?"

It took a moment, but Balance's Fighter relaxed. He reached under his brother and grabbed Ryo's arms by the wrist, forming a kind of swing that supported the elder twin. Kouji carefully moved so that his brother's arms hung down behind them, making it more stable as they lifted him up off the ground and down the street.

Takuya stared after them as they passed by, dumbstruck. "Kouji, you're not seriously going to _trust_ these guys, are you?"

The younger twin looked up at him with narrowed eyes and a little, tired frown. "I don't have much of a choice."

Without another word, they headed back down the street to the twins' apartment – all four of them.

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

It was dark when they got there, which Takuya was not used to. His own home was always full of light and laughter- whether the latter came from the television or his little brother – and the few times he'd been to the twins' apartment it had always held a nice balance that wasn't overwhelming one way or the other. But tonight, the apartment was dark – there wasn't a speck of light to be found. Not even a window was open.

Takuya slipped in first, using the key from Kouji's pocket, and groped until he found a light switch. The flickering light revealed a few things he hadn't been expecting...candles, scattered all around the room, their scent filling the air with a fragrant atmosphere; a large, cozy-looking blanket sagging on the sofa as though it had been thrown there, and the distinct smells of milk and wheat wafting from the kitchen.

For some reason, it made Takuya's stomach crawl, even more so when he turned back to Kouji and Ryo.

Kouichi had looked bad before, but the light brought out every detail, every trickling trail of red, every black burn and moist brown raw spot. His clothes were in tatters, ripped to shreds and drenched in blood, and parts of it had fallen off along the way. Ruki, lagging behind a bit, had carefully gathered these scraps as she went, making sure not to leave any evidence that would get the cops worried.

Takuya licked his lips nervously. "Where…?"

"Bathroom," Kouji instructed with a light grunt, nodding towards the hall. "Water…fill the tub. Warm, not too hot. Hurry."

"Right!" Takuya darted down the hall and dodged into the door as Ruki stepped in behind them, closing the door securely.

She twisted the lock into place, quietly depositing the soiled rags in the trash can, and looked to Ryo. "You all right?"

"Peachy, babe," Ryo grinned cheekily through the sweat running down his face.

Ruki frowned and turned her purple eyes to Kouji. "What do you need?"

"Bandages," the younger Fighter grunted. "And ointment. In the bed room – under the bed. White box."

"Gotcha," Ruki nodded and slipped through the other door.

By the time Ryo and Kouji got the injured fighter into the bathroom, Takuya had the tub half-full. He jumped back out of the way as they pushed past and dropped the boy straight in, fully clothed. The water instantly turned a soft pink, dark red swirls raising up from the wounds, and Kouji gentle led his brother's head until it rested against the white tile.

"Phew," Ryo sighed, straightening and popping the cricks out of his neck and shoulders. "That was some trip. But, uh…ain't you gonna, you know, get him out of those clothes?"

Kouji glanced at him with a frown. "Not with you in the room."

"Oh," Ryo jerked back with an awkward expression, rubbing the back of his head. "Um…well, then, uh…"

He glanced back at the door, where Ruki had suddenly appeared, bearing the white box of medical supplies with both hands. Ryo spun on his heels to snatch them from her, deposited them on top of the counter, and clapped Takuya on the back with a warm expression. "Good luck with them, buddy. They're gonna need two pairs of hands. We'll just be in the, uh, living room."

He moved again, putting his arm around Ruki's shoulders, and lead her back out into the hall. She was giving him a rather cold glare as he closed the door behind him, and Takuya would swear he could hear her scolding him for a good fifteen minutes afterwards.

"…mix it with water."

Takuya jerked out of his thought. "Uh…what?"

Kouji had started to work the moment the other two were gone, gripping his brother's clothes in his hands and tearing them off, piece by piece. He was deposited the tattered strips into the wastebasket nearby and started grunting out instructions in a tone that made it very clear that he was not to repeat himself again. "The burn salve. Brown bottle, second compartment to the left. One capful, mixed with half a cup of cold water."

"R-Right!"

Takuya tossed open the box with a clatter and hurriedly began preparing the salve, not really paying attention to the fact that the kit seemed rather strange, even for someone like him who had never really seen a first-aid kid before. He pulled out the bottle, a mixing glass and its lid and began filling it with the appropriate mixture, glancing at Kouji over his shoulder.

The younger twin had placed a towel over his brother's lap in a modest manner, and was now carefully running water over the wounds to wash away the worse of the blood and mess. Takuya found himself impressed with the gentleness he showed, the soft touches that managed to be just hard enough to be effective. It took a kind of control that he hadn't quite seen before.

"You're good at this," he muttered softly, knelling next to him with the salve.

Kouji glanced at him, judging the value of his question as untrustingly as ever, but the wall fell quickly when he looked back to Kouichi. "Soubi-san didn't just teach us how to fight…He taught us how to take care of each other, too."

"Wow," Takuya whispered, handing off the well-mixed jar of medicine. "So, um…what do you want me to do?"

Kouji grunted a bit, as though unsure. He pushed the facet to as cold as it would go, soaking a hand towel before he shut it off. He shoved the towel into Takuya's hands. "Keep him cool."

"Gotcha."

Without another word, Takuya leaned over and pressed the cold cloth against Kouichi's face and forehead. Kouji didn't even lift his head, taking the gooey mixture of the cream out with his fingers and gently beginning to massage it into and over the wounds.

Things were quiet for a while. Then Kouji glanced at Takuya out of the corver of his eye. "Who was that, back there?"

"Who?"

"That girl."

Takuya's hand stopped moving, holding the cloth over Kouichi's forehead. His brown eyes focused on a specific line of grout in the tile of the wall, and let his face go carefully blank. He'd never tried a poker face before. He wondered how Kouji did it so easily.

"She's…a friend."

Kouji lifted a roll of bandages into his hands and began to wrap them around his brother's arm. "A good friend?"

"Not…yet."

"But you wanted her to be."

Takuya gripped the rag tightly in his hand, causing a few streaks of cold water to run down the injured boy's face. He didn't say anything.

Kouji waited a moment, giving him a chance to give an answer if he wanted to, but when none was forthcoming, he just turned back to his work. "We'll get her back."

Takuya hadn't been expecting that. "What?"

"We'll get her back," Kouji muttered again, stressing each word. "No one deserves to be stuck in that hell hole. So we'll get her out."

Takuya blinked, lowering the rag to run against Kouichi's cheek. "You…really mean that?"

Kouji shrugged. "What are friends for?"

Takuya had never heard Kouji use the word 'friend' before. Kouichi, yes, but never Kouji. "Wow…thanks, Kouji…"

"Hn."

Takuya couldn't help but crack a little smile. Again, they turned back, and again they worked, quietly, for about fifteen more minutes before the elder twin finally stirred.

"Nnrg…" he groaned, leaning into the cool touch of the wash cloth. "Kou…ji?"

"Not quite. But he's here," Takuya lowered the washcloth and glanced to the Fighter. "He's asking for you."

Kouji spared him a withering glare. Takuya grinned, in the kind of way one grins when they just found out that everyone in the accident survived, before climbing to his feet and backing off. Kouji slid into the empty spot and took his brother's hand, gently running his hand over his forehead and temple. "I'm here."

"Good…" Kouichi leaned his head against his brother's shoulder, snuggling a little closer, and sighed comfortably.

Takuya hung back, watching the scene with a light sigh. "You need me to do anything?"

Kouji glanced at him. "Go watch…those two."

"You got it," Takuya nodded, and slipped out the door again to give the twins…his _friends_…a little privacy.

**_TBC…_**


	14. Friends

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 13: Friends**

Takuya wondered what he had done, karmatically, that had stuck him in the seemingly endless position as a fifth wheel in every single social situation he ever managed to get himself into.

Initially, he'd slipped into the twins' living room with the intention of double-checking the door and window locks, cleaning up whatever dinner the brothers had been forced to leave behind and keeping a subtle eye on their two 'houseguests,' just to be absolutely sure that they weren't up to anything..._sneaky_. But the first two had already been taken care of before he even stepped through the door, which left him with only the third task, which wasn't going to be particularly subtle anymore, especially since the pair were currently stretched out on the couch, Ryo's pillowed in Ruki's lap.

So Takuya had resorted to settling down in the single armchair, letting his eyes scan around the room in what he hoped was a lazy manner, trying hard to lose himself in his thoughts and block out the light humming noise Ryo was making as Ruki feathered her fingers through his hair.

Takuya sighed and forced his eyes closed, letting his mind wander. He was tired, no, exhausted. His head seemed to be full of nothing but a faint buzzing noise, like static over a radio. He leaned his head back against the soft cushions and rubbed his temples with a groan, trying to push through the day, through everything that had happened, just for a moment…

Then a single bright, wonderful smile cut through the haze like sunlight on a foggy day, and for a moment, his mind was quiet under the memory of gentle, wonderful blue eyes.

For a second, he was calm. And he loved it.

"Looks like somebody's found his happy place."

Takuya snapped his eyes open at Ryo's comment and sputtered, barely coming out of his fantasy with time to catch his breath. "Wh-What?"

The dark-skinned boy grinned up at him like a cat curled in the lap of his master, in full view of a sunlit window. The many rows of teeth seemed to hold the adventure-loving confidence of one who had seen danger, laughed in its face and lived to give it a wedgie later. "You're pretty obvious. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Means you're a nice guy. So what're you thinkin' 'bout?"

Ruki turned her icy purple gaze to meet Takuya's evenly, letting a smirk curl across her lips. "I think the question is '_who_'."

Takuya flushed, his cheeks turning a deep red that was almost maroon.

"Auw, pumpkin, it ain't nice to tease him," Ryo snickered, reaching out to run his fingers along Ruki's jaw line affectionately. "He's just in love, after all."

Takuya's blush darkened even more and he sputtered awkwardly, his tongue slipping around behind his teeth, unable to get a grip on much of anything beyond a few short, not-quite-connected syllables. "Huh…wha…but…I…"

"So you _don't_ have any feelings for the little blonde girl?" Ruki asked without inflection, her expression matching perfectly.

"I didn't say that!"

Ryo chuckled again, longer and louder than before, his head leaning back to expose the taunt, tanned skin stretched over his throat. His brown eyes shown cheerily as he sat up, looking at Takuya over his shoulder with a cocky grin. "Of course you didn't. Though there's no need to be embarrassed about it all. We know what it's like, don't we, Pumpkin?"

With the last sentence, he swung his legs around to sit beside Ruki on the couch, wrapping his arm around her shoulders brightly. The girl didn't tense or move much at all, except for her eyes, which swiveled to shift their cold glare onto his partner. "You are such a sap."

Ryo grinned even wider and pulled her closer. "Love you too, hun."

Ruki rolled her eyes, but Takuya almost imagined the faintest blush had crept up under her pale cheeks. But before she or anyone else could comment further, a familiar, cold voice echoed from the hallway.

"I could use a hand."

Takuya snapped his head up to look at Kouji, who was looking more than a little tired, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His sleeves were wet around the cuffs and rolled up over his elbows, several beads of sweat were running down from his temples. Despite that, his eyes were narrowed and had managed to regain the little determined spark that had been knocked out during the fight.

"All done?" Takuya asked, jumping over the armrest of the chair to land on his feet. "Whattya need?"

Kouji gave a tired little half-shrug, one shoulder lifting and falling barely half and inch. "I can't carry him alone."

"You don't have to bother them…"

Kouichi's voice was weak, and sounded strained against the rawness of his throat, which made Takuya wince just the slightest with sympathy. He replaced the pained expression with a bright grin and pushed forward to nudge Kouji back into the bathroom. "No trouble at all, Kimura. Always glad to help."

The boy inside grinned at him humorlessly from his place on the bathroom floor, a pair of blue flannel pajama bottoms secured around his waist. Layers and layers of blood-stained white gauze were wrapped around his chest and arms, holding his skin in place. He had one leg pulled up and looked as though he'd been trying to pull himself to his feet, but the shaking in his limbs was too much to even think of it.

Takuya crossed the small room with a few carefully-placed steps, knelling down to pull the arm Kouichi was trying to hoist himself up with over his shoulders. Kouji mirrored his actions on the other side, reaching across to grip Takuya at the elbow and support his brother carefully. Takuya grinned at the younger twin and counted off in his head before the both climbed to their feet, pulling Kouichi to his feet.

"Yeah, this is good, right, Kimura?" Takuya grinned brightly as their careful steps started to pick up pace, and nodded his head back and forth to keep up the rythmn. "One, two. One, two. We'll get you settled in in no time!"

Kouichi giggled and Takuya's grin spread even wider, keeping up the cheerful banter until they made it into the twin's bedroom and gotten the elder brother settled in on the bed. He kept the grin in place, though, and held it as such even as Kouji rearranged pillows to make his brother a bit more comfortable. "There we go, all done. You still doin' okay, Kimura? 'Cause I can…"

"Kouichi."

"…Huh?"

The injured twin looked up through his bangs modesty. "You've done more than enough to call me by my first name by now."

Takuya blinked several times in rapid succession. Of everything that had happened today - the weird conversation with Soubi, his friend nearly getting torn to ribbons in a magical battle, meeting and then losing the girl of his dreams - this was the last thing he had expected.

"Kouji, too," Kouichi glanced at his brother with a small smile, not really asking permission but making sure that it really was okay. "Right?"

Kouji glanced Takuya's way and grunted in a manner that wasn't quite noncommittal, but not quite agreeable anyway. It seemed to be close enough for Kouichi, who was, admittedly, probably better at reading Kouji's non-communication than anyone else in the world, as he turned back to smile at Takuya again. "So please, from now on… just call us by our names. That's what friends do, right?"

"Uh, right. Kouichi." Takuya grinned a bit, rubbing the back of his head. His ears twitched awkwardly in the air, betraying his nervousness. "I guess…you can just call me Takuya, then."

"So whattya want _us_ to call you?"

Takuya jumped a foot, all of his hair and fur standing on end, and twisted to find Ryo leaning against the doorframe. It seemed that Fearless had decided to busy themselves in the apartment again while Takuya wasn't around to watch them; especially as Ruki was standing in front of him, bearing a tray and a large bowl of what looked and smelled like instant chicken-flavored ramen.

The girl rolled her violet eyes at her partner in annoyance. "It doesn't matter what _we_ call them," she scolded, crossing the room to place the tray in Kouichi's lap like a peace offering. "It's not like we're staying, anyway."

"Not staying?" Takuya felt his cat-ears press against the top of his head and frowned at the statement. It wasn't like he really liked Fearless or anything, but they seemed to be at least vaguely decent. "Where are you going to go? Back to the…"

"There is no longer a place for us at The School," Ruki scowled darkly as she backed off, crossing her arms over her chest. "_Reflection_ has guaranteed that."

"Then where will you…?"

"We'll make by," Ryo grinned and gave his cocky little wink again, though both actions were tinged by a sort of…sadness. Takuya couldn't imagine what they had to be sad about, but…each to their own.

Kouichi seemed to understand better. "At least stay the night."

"Where? On that little couch of yours?"

"It's a fold-out. It's the least we can do."

Ryo lifted one eyebrow, glancing at Ruki out of the corner of his eye suggestively. The girl rolled her eyes again and swatted at him in annoyance. "You don't owe us anything," she said to Kouichi. "We owed you for the win."

"You did more than your share. We're in your debt."

"We don't need your sympathy."

"It's not sympathy."

Takuya shrugged with a bit of a grin. "Hey man, never look a gift horse in the mouth. It's not like you've got anywhere else to go."

Both of the Sacrifices turned to look at him, Ruki with annoyance and Kouichi in amusement. After a moment, the girl sighed and backed off, raising her hands in defeat. "Fine, then. We'll stay the night. But _no more_."

"Then keep it quiet," Kouji growled under his breath. "We're not some stupid hotel."

Takuya laughed at that, as did Ryo, and even the combined glare-wrath of Ruki and Kouji couldn't get them to shut up. By the time they'd all calmed down, Kouichi had fallen asleep again, leaving Kouji with that rather mother-hennish task of showing their guests where to sleep and unceremoniously tossing Takuya out the door.

As Takuya walked home, he was vaguely aware of a slight shadow - identified only by the love-of-adventure smirk that gleamed in the moonlight - that was following him, but he didn't mind. For all the crap that had happened today, someone was still willing to watch out for his safety.

It was good to have friends.

_**TBC…**_

Whew…_finally_ got past this part. I'm sorry for neglecting this story for so long. I moved to college and stuff has been piling up, so I guess something had to suffer for it. I'll try to be better. My muses seem to have flitted over here for at least a little bit. Let's see how long they stay occupied. Next chapter will probably include a time-jump of a few days. Here's hoping we all stick with it long enough to get there. (Reviews are a big encouragement - hint hint)


	15. Invasion

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I'm just obsessed with both…_

**Balance**

**Chapter 14: Invasion**

The next week passed so quickly that everything seemed to blur together even before it had a chance to completely solidify on the canvas.

When Monday rolled around, Ruki had revealed an unexpected talent for forgery and produced an extremely accurate doctor's note, which got Kouichi out of the last week of school before Spring Break and spared them all the pain of answering uncomfortable questions. Somehow, Fearless managed to make themselves quite comfortable in the living room of the twins' apartment, paying their dues in their own way through running errands and doing the cooking (something Kouichi was visibly grateful for, though not when Kouji was around to see it.)

The extra assistance and the break from school freed up enough time for Kouji to start showing Takuya the 'basics' of their fighting. To everyone's surprise but his own, Takuya himself had been the one to bring it up. But after everything that had happened, everything he'd seen, and especially after meeting _her_…Izumi…only to have the damned School steal her away again, he knew that he needed it. The last thing he wanted was to let her, or his friends, or anyone he cared about, down ever again.

As Takuya headed out to their designated meeting place on the first day of the break, he thought how odd it was that this didn't feel…well, odd. In fact, felt strangely at ease with the entire situation.

On the other hand, Kouji, when Takuya finally spotted him in the park, was clearly Not Happy with being forced to leave his brother in the care of mild acquaintances. But then again, he'd been similarly unhappy for most of the school week and no one had gotten killed over it yet. Plus, he'd agreed to these sessions without any pestering, so it couldn't have been as bad as he was making it out. More likely, he was just annoyed with Takuya for running a little…

"You're late."

Takuya grinned and rubbed the back of his head with one hand, scratching a little behind his right cat-ear the way his mother did with the family dog. "Sorry, sorry. I got kinda lost, everything looks the same once you're actually _in_ the park…"

The twitching of Kouji's tail was the only warning he got before the wooden bokken appeared from the boy's bag and knocked Takuya up the side of the head. The brunette let out a surprised noise that was covered up by the ringing that was now bouncing off the sides of his head painfully. He pushed his ears down against the top of his head and groaned. "Ow! Kouji, what was _that_ for?"

"Guess."

Takuya scowled at his friend in annoyance. "I was only a few minutes late!"

"A few seconds is all _they'll_ need," Kouji cocked the practice weapon over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "If we're going to do this, we're going to do it _my_ way. You're either on time, or you're early, _never_ late. You'll do exactly what I say without questioning it, and you have to trust me _completely_. Otherwise, all of this is going to add up to absolutely nothing."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Takuya lowered his arms in defeat and shrugged. "So, where do we start?"

Kouji glanced over him once more, then moved to his duffle bag again. He dug around a moment before pulling out another bokken, along with a bag of large ball bearings, a sling, a first-aid kit and what looked suspiciously like a switch-blade.

"We've got our work cut out for us here," he muttered, lying the tools out like a surgeon but turning his back on Takuya so that the other couldn't see what he was doing. "Without knowing your Name, you can't actually practice any spells; without that power, you can't find your talents and without a Sacrifice, you can't practice the Bonding."

Takuya blinked at him and turned his head dumbly. "So…What _can _we practice?"

"Your reflexes."

Kouji turned sharply, and before Takuya could process that movement, a ball bearing had been launched from the sling at his head. He yelped and jerked his head half a foot to the left, popping a crick into his neck and missing the ball just enough to nick his right ear. "Jesus _Christ_, Kouji!"

The dark-haired boy smirked and loaded the sling again matter-of-factly. "We're going to keep doing this until you can dodge them all, completely, with minimum amount of movement. And that'll be lesson one."

Takuya swallowed hard. "And then what?"

"Then we start the hard stuff."

Takuya bit his lip and muffled a pained groan. This was going to be a long week…

**( - ) ( - ) ( - )**

Half-way through the Thursday afternoon of their Spring Break found Kouichi humming tunelessly as he shifted through the boxes of books and old clothes. Every time he moved something, another memory came to the surface, and his tune picked up the tempo another notch with each little grin they brought to his face.

"You're in a good mood."

He glanced up and smiled at Ryo, who returned the grin brightly and came to crouch on the other side of the box. Fearless's Fighter glanced into the cardboard curiously. "What's all this, then?"

"We never really got the chance to completely move in," Kouichi sighed, carefully folding one of Kouji's old martial arts uniforms over his lap. "Everything just happened too quickly. I figured now was as good a time as ever…"

"You sure you're up for the effort?" Ryo asked, picking out his words very carefully. "I mean, you're not pulling your bandages out or anything, right?"

"I'm _fine_," Kouichi rolled his eyes with a playful grin. "Honestly, Ryo-kun, I'm not an _invalid_."

"Not anymore."

"You sound like Kouji," Kouichi chuckled, standing very carefully and moving to the closet again. "Every time I get hurt, you'd think I got hit by a truck. He has to do _everything_, like I'd break if I get out of bed, and it can be downright painful if he decided he has to do the cooking, too."

Ryo's smile widened a bit and he chuckled, a low, pleasant sound as he stretched up to catch the clothes that slipped out of the twin's grip. "Would you change that about him?"

"Not for the world."

_Ding-dong_.

Ryo's head snapped up and Kouichi stopped his shifting. Fearless narrowed his eyes sharply. "Are you…expecting anyone?"

"No," Kouichi frowned. "And Kouji and Takuya won't be done for another hour at least."

"That's what I thought," Ryo patted the boy on the shoulder once. "Stay here."

He pushed out the door and found Ruki waiting for him, already the apron untied from her waist and draped across the back of the couch. The exchanged a quick glance and moved to the door as one.

Kouichi watched them through the crack until they disappeared out of his sight, leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing as much as he could, listening with all the strength of his senses as the door opened, and Ruki's voice. "Can we help you?"

"Balance is here," another female voice, unfamiliar, cold and icy. "Hand him over and we'll let you walk away from this clean."

A hiss, Ryo's protective nature shining through. "Make us."

A light chuckle, this one masculine. "As you wish."

Kouichi drew in a sharp breath and held it for a moment as the air filled with the familiar rushing noise of battle lines being drawn and their spell casting ranges mapped out. Fearless was good, no, better than good, they were fantastic, the could hold up to this, and yet, all he wanted was to hear Kouji come home and…

"Ruki!" Ryo's voice jerked Kouichi back to reality. "Bastards! What did you do to her? _Ruki!_"

Kouichi burst out the door and darted down the hall in a moment, sliding to a stop at the end of the little passage. Ruki couldn't be hurt, she was too good, Ryo was too good, and there hadn't even been a word, Fearless was, Ryo was, Ruki was…

Ruki was on the ground, her arms bound in a straight jacket, her legs twisted together with binders, with a blindfold over her eyes, a gag across her lips and chains around every inch of her. She was shivering, bound and helpless, unable to speak, unable to move at all. Ryo was there with her, knelling beside her, trying to support her, and staring up in horror at the figures in the door.

At the front, the Fighter, was a slightly-older boy with dark hair and glasses, smirking knowingly as he leaned against the door, his arms crossed over his chest. His Sacrifice stood just behind him, a petite girl with blonde hair and unbearably pale skin, brought out even more by the black dress she wore, which could only be described as gothic-Lolita. She didn't smile.

"Ruki-san!" Kouichi gasped, stepping forward. "Ryo-kun!"

"Don't come any closer!" Ryo snapped back, pulling Ruki close to him. "Kimura, get out of here! There's something wrong with these guys! They…they didn't even say a word!"

The dark-haired boy laughed, and the sound would have been pleasant, if it hadn't been tainted with so much malice. "When you've got real skill, there's no need to waste time with words."

The girl's eyes rolled back to look at Kouichi, and they were cold blue. "You are Balance."

It wasn't a question. Kouichi drew in a hissing breath through his gritted teeth, his hand search for something, anything that could be used as a…

"I said _GET OUT!_"

Ryo reared up with a roar and lunged at the new Fighter with his fists. The be speckled boy grinned an attractive, murderous grin, side stepping one blow, blocking a second, catching a third. He held the catch easily, grinning at Ryo as he gripped the other boy's arm with both hands, one at the wrist and the other at the elbow.

"Uh-uh-uh," he chuckled, grinning over the top of Ryo's arm. "No one likes a sore loser."

He twisted his grip, and Ryo's yell was punctured with the sound of joints popping loose from their sockets. The stranger pulled with his shoulders and hurled Ryo away. Fearless's Fighter landed, flat on his back, on the coffee table, which shattered under the force of the blow and splintered around him. He lay there and groaned with pain.

"Stop it!"

Kouichi lunged, wielding a mop of all things, and managed to get in a decent blow across the stranger's shoulders. The mop's plastic handle made a satisfying cracking noise as it dented and bent over him, the boy grunted and his glasses fell to the floor.

Kouichi jerked back, trying to pull his makeshift weapon with him, but the Fighter had already grabbed it. As the Sacrifice gazed his way with that blank, unemotional stare, her Fighter grinned up at him maniacally, his navy eyes bared to reveal every bit of his bloodlust.

"_That_ wasn't smart."

He pulled again, faster than the eye could move, and the mop jerked with him. Kouichi hit the wall beside the doorway, harder than should have been possible from that angle, and winced as the wounds on his left side ripped open again. He sank to the floor as the thick blood began to soak through his shirt, gritting his teeth even as all the feeling disappeared from his left leg. He glared up at the intruders as they approached, fighting to suck in whatever breath he could.

"What…What _are_ you?"

The girl looked down at him like a bug she was about to step on, her blue eyes burning through him like ice, her face remaining as blank and unemotional as ever. "We are Zero."

And the world slipped away into darkness.

_**TBC…**_


	16. Detention

**__**

Disclaimer: _I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I just write. A lot._

****

Balance

Chapter 15: Dention

Kouji stopped suddenly, in mid-strike, and jerked his head to stare off into the distance. If the look on his face hadn't been one of startled fear, Takuya would have considered taking advantage of the moment of weakness, as he was quickly learning was the point of the training; but as it was, he just straightened. "What's up? Something wrong?"

"Something's happened," Kouji's hands twisted on the grip of the bokken. "I can't feel Fearless anymore."

That was the only warned Takuya got before Kouji was off again, darting through the trees with the sharp, controlled movements that he usually seemed to save for mid-battle situations. Takuya's brain caught up with his friend's train of thought after a few moments of scrambling, and then he was after him as well, leaving their equipment behind.

They reached the apartment in record time, the landlord's frustrated shouts echoing up the stairwell along with the slamming door. Takuya could barely keep up with Kouji as he shot up the stairs and down the hallway like a bullet, but his blood ran cold when he saw the door to the twin's apartment standing wide open, as though it had been thrown wide by an attacking force.

Kouji had to slam his foot into against the doorframe to halt his own momentum, shouting for his brother in the same breath. "Nii-san!"

From inside the apartment, a soft, pained voice answered. "He's gone."

Takuya finally caught up with his friend, sliding to a stop just behind him. He glanced over Kouji's shoulder and his eyes widened sharply.

The apartment, which had been growing gradually cleaner as the week wore on, had been completely trashed. Furniture had been overturned, decorations knocked off the wall, and some pieces had been completely destroyed. There was a huge bloodstain on the wall, seeping through the wallpaper and running down the wall to pool on the floor.

Fearless was in the middle of the living room, Ryo flat on his back in the ruins of the coffee table with Ruki beside him, cradling his head in her lap. Both of them bore fresh cuts and bruises - Ruki's bruises exceptionally heavy around her neck and wrists - and Ryo's eyes were fluttering as he just started to regain consciousness.

"Ah…Akiyama-kun!" Takuya gasped, pushing past Kouji to check the pair out. "Makino-san!"

Kouji let him pass, his face blanch white as he stared at the sight of his ruined home. When he finally spoke, his voice was broke and cracked. "What…What do you _mean_, he's gone?"

Ruki sighed, looking up from Ryo's swollen right eye for a moment and turning to Kouji with an expression that was completely, darkly blank. "They came for him. From the school. Just the two of them, but they were…too strong."

"'Too strong,'" Kouji echoed, his voice ringing with disbelief. "I thought you two were supposed to be the strongest the School had! Who the hell did they send?!"

"Zeroes…"

The word cracked into the room like an electrical spark, punctuated by Ryo's groan as he lifted himself out of Ruki's lap, rubbing the back of his neck. Ruki's calm poker face slipped away for a split second, revealing her worry for her partner, but a small grin from Ryo assured her that - if nothing else - he was still in working order.

Once the six-point-five seconds necessary to establish this had passed, Kouji narrowed his eyes at them. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"That's their name," Ryo sighed, running a hand through his hair to check for extra head wounds. "Zero. They're…legendary, really. Something a couple of senseis in the system were experimenting with a few years ago."

This time, it was Takuya who frowned. "Expermenting…?"

"They're not 'real,'" Ryo explained calmly. "The Zeroes are artificial pairs, manufactured warriors. And they're seriously powerful."

"If they're artificial than…"

"How are they so strong?" Ryo sighed again, shaking his heads. "That's a little complicated…"

"They feel no pain," Ruki said simply, her voice as blank as ever. "None, whatsoever, at all."

Takuya let out a low whistle. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Ryo reiterated. "They're practically soulless."

Kouji clenched his hands into fists so tightly that they shook and Takuya almost expected blood to leak out. Balance's Fighter took a few deep breaths, licking his lips until he'd finally gotten himself under control enough to ask. "So they took you out."

Ruki closed her eyes. "Yes."

"Two losses in less than a week," Ryo bowed his head with a shamed expression and sighed. "We're really out of it now…"

"What about Nii-san?"

"We already told you," Ruki repeated, spelling out each word. "He's gone. There's nothing that we could do. They completely overpowered us."

Ryo looked up at Kouji from behind his bangs. "I'm sorry, Minamoto. Really."

Kouji stood still for a moment longer, then sighed and let his entire body deflate with the escaping air. He walked around the living room slowly, sinking bonelessly into the armchair. He put his head in his hands and sighed again, sounding as though he was just about ready to break down and cry.

Takuya looked between them, taking a moment to take in every detail of each of their faces - Ruki's calm poker expression, Ryo's concerned shame, Kouji's silent despair. The atmosphere of dread and sadness was almost physically stifling - it was more than he could take.

"We're just going to sit here, then?" he demanded. "Just give up? We have to go after them!"

"It's too late now," Ruki muttered. "They're already long gone."

Takuya ground his teeth together. "Then we'll go to the School! That's where they're taking him, right? And you two know where it's at, right? We should go there and…and…"

"And what, stage some kind of revolt? Pick a fight? Some grand battle?" Ruki scoffed. "In this condition? We wouldn't even get past the front door."

"That doesn't mean we can't try…!"

"Takuya, stop."

The brunette stopped and twisted, his eyes shooting to the armchair. "Kouji!"

"They're right," Kouji sighed one more time and leaned back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling. "The School's got a dozen Units, and without Nii-san, we're down to Fearless. They're in no shape to fight, not like this. We have to hold back…"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Takuya exclaimed, shoving forward to lean across the chair's armrest, practically yelling in Takuya's ear. "How can you say that? Kouichi could be in danger, and the longer we wait the worse off he's likely to-"

"Don't you think I know that?!"

Kouji's head snapped up with his shout, putting him nose-to-nose and eye-to-eye with Takuya. In the depths of his navy blue eyes, a dim spark of determination burned, as always, but now there was something more - something dark, quiet and patient. For a split moment, Takuya almost thought he was looking into Kouichi's eyes.

"The longer they have him, the more danger he'll be in, I know," Kouji growled with a feral expression. "But if we go in the way we are, they'll beat us, and then we won't be able to help Kouichi or Izumi or anyone else."

Takuya jerked back at the girl's name, getting a flash - as he always did - of sweet wind and lovely blonde hair. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, staring at his friendly blankly, opening and closing his mouth without saying anything at all.

Fearless remained quiet, gathering up their own things and disappearing into the kitchen without a word.

Kouji kept Takuya's gaze for a long while, then let out one last heavy sigh, like an old man ready to collapse after a long day. He closed his eyes and dropped out of the world altogether. To the outside observer, he might as well have been asleep. "Go home, Takuya. We can't do anything like this. Just…go home. Come back tomorrow. Then…then we'll go. Tomorrow."

__

"I just hope it's not too late…"

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouichi groaned as his consciousness slowly returned, keeping his eyes squeezed shut in a vain attempt to subdue the pounding that rang through his head. He forced his eyes to respond and found that he could only open one - the other was both swollen practically shut and pressed into the hard, cold, dingy surface that - when combined with the uncomfortable chair that was not doing a thing to ease his aching back - could only mean one thing: a school desk.

What had happened? Why was he here? He thought about it hard and found his mind to be full of fuzz. The pounding kept him from stringing to gather anything even resembling a coherent thought.

A door slammed shut behind him and the shock jerked him completely awake. Kouichi shot up, his ears and tail shooting on automatic high alert, especially as unfamiliar voices followed. "Oops."

"Junpei!" hissed a second voice, this one a tad more immature. "We're gonna get caught!"

"Sorry, it just slipped out of my hand…"

Kouichi tried to turn to get a look at the pair, but the movement was prevented by the manacles holding his arms together, crossed as the wrist and bolted to the table. Natural instinct took hold for a split moment, as he yanked backwards, trying to pull loose like a wild animal.

"Hey, hey, hey!" the second voice called, and suddenly two pudgy arms had wrapped around to hold him still. "Easy, pal, _easy!_ You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"We're not going to hurt you!" the other voice chimed in, its owner racing around to grab Kouichi's hand from the front. Concerned blue eyes looked up at him from under a mop of messy brown hair. "We're…we're friends. We just want to help."

Kouichi clenched his fists together to pull his fingers out of the stranger's reach. He sucked in a few deep breaths and choked on the third one, his dry throat sticking together. The thick arms unwrapped from around him and fumbled with something behind him before they reappeared, this time holding a bottle of water. Kouichi automatically opened his mouth to accept the offering, nearly gasping with the relief of not-quite-cool liquid running down his throat.

"There we go," the larger of the two boys sighed, finally stepping where Kouichi could see him as he capped the bottle. "Feeling better."

Kouichi licked his lips and finally took an easy breath. "Yes, I…Yes. Thank you."

"No prob," the large boy gave a wide, friendly grin. "Now hold still."

Kouichi had barely opened his mouth to ask why before small hands suddenly swept up his side underneath his shirt. "Ah! What're you…?"

"Easy, easy," the large boy soothed. "Tomoki's gotten a lot of first aid training, we're just making sure you're not too bad."

"These are mostly healed, I think," the boy - Tomoki? - announced as he slid the shirt back down. "Looks like they opened some during the fight, but it's not too bad."

He straightened and looked into Kouichi's eyes, specifically, the right one, which was threatening to swell shut. He gave it an experimental prod with one finger, pulling back immediately when Kouichi winced. "Sorry. Guess it's still sore."

"It's…It's not so bad," Kouichi let his eyes open naturally, using his good one to glance between the strangers tensely. "I don't really understand…Who are you?"

The larger boy laughed, the sound seeming forced and slightly muffled. He was toying with a small key as though it were the last thing in the world that he wanted to lose. "Yeah, sorry. I guess we didn't introduce ourselves, huh? I'm Junpei - this is Tomoki - we're friends of, um, Izumi."

"Izumi…?" Kouichi wrecked his still-aching brain for the name and only managed to grasp the edge of an anecdote. "That girl that…Takuya met?"

"That's her," Junpei nodded, stashing his water bottle in the backpack he carried. "And she's quite taken with him, I'll tell you that…"

"then this place is…" Kouichi tugged at the manacles again, testing their strength even as a cold feeling slipped into his stomach. "The School?"

Tomoki and Junpei glanced at each other, then Tomoki shrugged. "You can call it that, if you want. It's not like it's the only one or anything…"

Kouichi looked between them again with his good eye, his ears pressing flat against his skull. "And you two. Are you…students?"

"You could call us that, yeah…"

"So why are you helping me?"

"Izumi asked us to."

"Why isn't she here?"

Again, the students glanced at one another, this time exchanging a dark look that seemed hang over them from then on. Tomoki nibbled his lip. "She…She can't."

Kouichi blinked slowly. "Can't? Is she…?"

"She's in the same mess you are, pal," Junpei mentioned. "Detention."

The word itself was familiar and almost casual, but it was spoken in such a hushed, hesitant tone that it sent chills rolling down Kouichi's spine.

"She's being punished for running away," Tomoki added, his tone equally breathless. "It's awful nasty, but they'll let her out again in a couple of days. We've been getting food and stuff to her in between, so she'll be okay, but if we break her out of the room she'll just get into more trouble."

Kouichi swallowed hard and flexed his fingers again, feeling the rough metal scratch against his skin as the muscles of his wrist expanded and contracted. "What do they do to you, here? In…Detention?"

"Depends on what _you_ did," Junpei said softly, toying with the key again. "Sometimes, they just lock you up for a few days with no food, no light, no nothing, just to show you what for. Sometimes, it's a whipping or two, and sometimes they get real creative. Let the punishment fit the crime and all."

"But that's for you," Kouichi swallowed again, forcing his voice to stay calm. "What's they going to do to me?"

Again, the students exchanged an unspoken glance, this one even more uneasy than before, but just as they turned back to him, they were interrupted by a new sound:

_BANG! BANG BANG!_

Kouichi jumped and winced as the chains scratched against his already raw and bleeding skin. Junpei and Tomoki jumped as well, their eyes darting to the pipe that ran across the ceiling. "What was that?"

"The signal," Junpei gulped. "From our buddy upstairs."

"A sensei's coming, probably for you," Tomoki added in a rush. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Wait!" Kouichi called, twisting after them as best he could. "You have to get me out of here!"

"We would if we could, pal, but all we've got is the key to the door," Junpei said in a rush, sweeping Tomoki out into the hall. "Best of luck, chum. I mean that."

With that and a much quieter click than before, Kouichi was alone again.

His few moments of solitude gave him a chance to look around his cell for the first time. His desk was the only one in the classroom, which was dark, damp, windowless and likely underground. An old, water-stained blackboard was attached to the wall in front of him with a heavy door just visible out of the corner of his swollen eyes. Exposed pipes ran along the seams of the walls and ceiling, their sparse few clean spots gleaming in the dim illumination of a single light bulb swinging above his head.

Kouichi groaned and closed his eyes again the moment he had registered all of the details he could see. His head was still pounding, though it had faded to a dull ache, and his shoulders were stiff from the position that the chain forced him to remain in.

But he couldn't focus on that now, it would only hurt him more in the end. He had to keep his mind on track, had to clear his thoughts. He evened out his breathing and focused on something better - Kouji. His brother's face, his voice and his secret smile, yes, the one that they only shared between them…

The door opened again, quieter and more regal than the boys' entrance. The stranger entered the room with long, elegant steps that thumped against the floor with a carefully crafted rhythm. Kouichi opened his eyes but did not look at them, keeping as calm as he could even though his stomach felt like it was full of moths.

"Hello, Balance," whispered a man's voice, and suddenly there were hands on him, petting down his hair and running across his ears. "It's quite a pleasure to finally be able to meet you."

Manicured fingernails ran across the sensitive skin of Kouichi's ears, making them twitch involuntarily, but the boy refused to react.

The man seemed amused. He chuckled and ran his other hand down Kouichi's spine. "The silent type, are you now? Do you know who I am?"

"…A teacher."

Another chuckle. The hand on his spine slid lower, into uncomfortable territory, and Kouichi had to fight the urge to cringe away from the touch. "Dear boy, _I _am not simply a teacher. I am the _Headmaster_."

The hand on his spine suddenly dipped low, grasping Kouichi's tail by its base. He yanked hard on it and on the ear he held. Kouichi had to bite down on his tongue to keep from crying out in pain.

"Still firmly attached, I see," the Headmaster snickered. "So _good_ to know…"

Kouichi hissed, twisting his head away from the grip on his ear. "I'm not…not scared of you."

"Liar."

The blow came faster than Kouichi could register, in the blindspot of his wounded eye. It struck him up the side of his face with enough force to knock both boy and desk completely over, sending them both crashing to the ground. Kouichi couldn't help the shout that escaped from him as his head hit the floor..

"Your body betrays your fear, Balance," the Headmaster cackled, reaching down to seize the boy by his shirt. "Even the most controlled warrior can't mask what terrorizes him, and you'd do well to admit to your body's tells. I'd say you're in enough trouble as it is."

Kouichi's good eye was being pressed into the ground and, as such, he couldn't see as the Headmaster undid the chain binding him to the desk. The man grabbed him by his shirt and his manacled hands, yanking them to his feet.

"You've chosen to create quite a mess for yourself, you know," the man continued as he shoved the boy into the far corner of the room. "In my benevolence, I was _almost_ ready to allow you and your precious partner to live on in peace, but then you had to go and meddle in our affairs."

He shoved again, throwing Kouichi into the wall. His other hand held tight to the boy's shirt, ripping half of it clear off his body. "If you had simply walked away from that boy, you wouldn't be here now."

Kouichi grunted, pushing off the wall. His vision blurred with the impact and he hissed in aggravation. "You have no right to…Takuya-kun…"

"We have _every_ right," Headmaster growled. "Those in power have the right. And _we _have the power. The authority."

He grabbed the boy by the hair and shoved him down, holding him still as he used his other hand to tear off what was left of his shirt. "You, Balance, have rebelled against that authority. Because of that, you have earned your punishment."

"You're not going to get anything from threatening me," Kouichi snarled back. "Kouji won't let you take Takuya, no matter what you do to me."

"You still don't understand," the Headmaster hissed, scraping his nails down the boy's bare back. "You aren't here for bargaining, you're here to receive your punishment."

With a swift strike, he drove his nails into the open wounds on the boy's side. Kouichi bit his lip hard, muffling a pained cry.

"Tell me, boy, what is that you hold most dear?" asked the Headmaster conversationally, ignoring the torture he was inflicting. "Your dreams? Your memories? Your home? Your _life_?"

He dug his nails in deeper, drawing blood and a low cry. "No…I know what it is you prize. Your _partner._"

"Don't you _dare_ touch Kouji!"

The Headmaster laughed. "Don't worry, your Fighter is of no consequence to me," his hand trailed downward, wrapping around the waistband of the boy's jeans to drag him closer. "But I _will_ be certain that your bond with him will _never_ be the same."

****

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Takuya didn't remember sleeping a wink that night, but he was full of enough energy by the morning that he figured he must have. If nothing else, he certainly looked better than Kouji.

Balance's Fighter had thick black bags hanging under his eyes, sinking deep into his sockets, brought out even more by the pale shallowness of his skin.

"Jesus, Kouji!" Takuya swore when the other answered the door. "You look awful!"

A voice from insider answered before Kouji had a chance to. "He didn't sleep last night."

Kouji growled. "It's not of your business, Akiyama."

"Well, you didn't," Ruki chimed in, appearing in the doorway next to him with a haggard expression on her face. "You stayed up all night pacing around like a lovesick elephant. Always the same thing: go to bed, get real quiet for a bit, get up and pace."

Takuay frowned at his friend. "Kouji! You were the one who said we had to rest up!"

"I tried," Kouji muttered, rubbing one hand across his face. "I _couldn't_ sleep."

"Well…why not?"

Kouji glanced up at him, quite suddenly looking very, very young. "The night after Mom died, I crawled into Nii-san's bed and neither of us has slept alone since," he said softly. "I _can't_ sleep without him."

Takuya rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, no knowing what to say to such a confession.

"Anyway," Ryo sighed, appearing behind Ruki with a tattered duffle bag slung over his shoulder. "We better get going. It's going to be a long trip. I hope you brought your train passes."

Takuya blinked as the trio stopped out into the hall. "We're going by train?"

"Fastest way to start," Ryo grinned, spinning a train pass card between his fingers. "A-Line to the last stop will get us out in the country. From there, it'll just take an hour or so on foot. Should be there by mid-afternoon."

"And then the real work starts," Ruki mumbled.

Ryo just grinned at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, it'll be tough. But we're ready for just about anything, right, Pumpkin?"

Ruki's cheeks colored to a rosy pink and she elbowed Ryo in the side, though the motion had no heart behind it.

Takuya glanced to Kouji again as the long-haired boy slowly but surely locked the door behind them. "You sure that you're up to this?"

"I have to be," Kouji muttered, a bit of the old determination gleaming in the undercurrent of his voice. "I have to get him back. No matter what."

Takuya frowned, but, recognizing where there was no point to arguing, let it go. "We'll get him back, Kouji."

Blue eyes met brown, and a bit of a smile quirked up the corners of what had been a disgruntled scowl. "We'll get _them _back. Both of them."

Takuya grinned. "Right. Both of them. For sure."

**__**

TBC…


	17. Frost Moon Academy

**Author's Note: **As anyone who reads Loveless can probably tell, I've veered quite a bit from the manga's story and characters. Ergo, I have created a separate School for this group to go after.

**_Disclaimer:_ **_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I just write. A lot._

**Balance**

**Chapter 16: Frost Moon Academy**

                "That's it?"

                "That's it," Ryo sighed seriously, bracing himself by leaning against a large tree as they looked to the bottom of the hill. "Welcome to the Frost Moon Academy."

                Takuya wasn't really certain how to respond to something like that. Of course, he hadn't really been sure what he had been expecting from the School that he'd heard so much about, but this, somehow, seemed to be something of a letdown. The building didn't look threatening or evil or even intimidating, the way he had assumed that it would be - in fact, aside from the barrenness of its rocky surroundings, a chilly white-and-blue paintjob and the thick black iron bars on the windows, it looked just like any other high school that he'd ever seen. It even had a clock set in the top of the main tower and a wide yard around it, though admittedly, neither looked as though they had been used in quite a while.

                As though reading his thoughts, Ryo spoke again. "Don't let its appearance fool you, Kanbara-kun. You're looking at one of the twelve most dangerous places in the world."

                Takuya frowned even deeper. "One of twelve?"

                "That's how many schools are in the system," Ruki explained softly as she lead the way down a barely-worn path through the rocks. "Frost Moon is only one of them. There's one other in Japan - the other ten are spread out all over the world. Even most of the students don't know about their 'competition.'"

                "But why?" Takuya asked as he trailed after her, "What's the point?"

                "There is no point. Not really," Ryo said, keeping his voice, low as though he thought that someone else might be listening in. "It's all about power and control. Whoever has the most power takes control of the system, and whoever is in charge of the system gets to make the rules."

                "The rules about what?"

                "About the 'Game,'" Ryo motioned to himself and Ruki to indicate that he meant the partner battles and magic. "Everything that has to do with Fighter Units and the fall-out from their battles. There's a whole system working behind society that normal people don't even know about…"

                Kouji cleared his throat, becoming impatient with the stupid banter that was keeping him away from his brother. Ryo got the hint and closed his mouth, quickening the speed of his steps to catch up with Ruki. An uneasy silence fell over the group, like a platoon of soldiers about to go into battle. The path was so narrow that they had to travel practically single-file down the slop, and not another word was said until they finally reached the ground.

                It wasn't until they were level with the School's front gates that they realized someone was waiting for them there.

                Reflection had changed their look, trading their stylish outfits from before for a set of school uniforms. Suigin wore a black uniform with jacket and slacks that was usually reserved for male students, the jacket hanging open to reveal the white shirt underneath, which had been unbuttoned far enough to see the top of her black sports bra. Yu had a donned shockingly white sailor suit, its ribbons, buttons and trim all the same black as her partner's jacket, even including knee-high white socks that must have been tapped in place. They both carried a simple black school satchel and looked far too innocent for the damage they were capable of.

                "Welcome to our school," they chorused as Kouji, Takuya and Fearless approached, sounding like a group of elementary school students welcoming a visitor into their classroom.

                The two 'students' broke apart and approached the group from different sides - Yu veering towards the left and Suigin drifting to the right. The Sacrifice carried her school bag over one shoulder, taking long strides as confident enough to belong to the captain of the baseball team, while her Fighter Unit held the bag with both hands and skipped merrily.

                "We've been expecting you," Suigin said slowly, flashing the quartet a confident grin. "That is, we were expecting Balance and the new boy."

                "Come to break your pretty brother out of detention?" Yu waved one finger and clicked her tongue like a scolding nun. "And maybe convince a pretty girl to play hooky, too? Naughty naughty, you'll get caughty."

                "Don't turn your back on them," Ryo warned in a low voice, already standing back-to-back with Ruki.

                Takuya took a step in reverse until his back bumped against Kouji's, clenching his hands into fists and raising one arm defensively. "What's _wrong_ with them?"

                "They've been injected with Serum." Ruki muttered.

                "It's an artificial enhancement that the Headmaster has been experimenting with," Ryo explained. "It expands the user's consciousness into all five senses, releasing the imaginative potential and making a Unit's power all that more potent."

                Takuya's mind boggled. "So they're _high_?"

                "Now that's not a nice thing to say," Yu insisted with an exaggerated pout, standing directly in front of Takuya to look up at him with big puppy-dog eyes. "We've just been taking our vitamins."

                Suigin reared up from the other side, leaning very close to Ruki's face. "I've got to say, nobody was expecting to see _you_ here again, Fearless. I mean, you _lost_, not just once, but _twice_ in less than a week. I'm amazed you even have the nerve to show your faces around here."

                "What we do is no one's business," Ruki said coldly, in the same moment that Ryo barked, "Get the hell away from her!"

                Reflection laughed with one voice, though Suigin leaned back as requested. A defensive shiver ran up Takuya's spine, and all of his muscles tensed in response. The opposing Unit's aura was so thick that even he could feel it, sticking to their hair and coursing around them in slow-motion as though they were trying to swim through a pool of syrup. It took all of Takuya's control to push down his own fight-or-flight instincts, reminding his adrenaline firmly that they were here for a reason, and there was no turning back now.

                He was so focused on Reflection the he nearly jumped a foot when Ryo grabbed him by the shoulder. The eyes of Fearless's Fighter blazed with an unnatural fire, and Takuya suddenly found himself very thankful that such a gaze had never been narrowed in his direction. "Get clear, and get out. These two are ours."

                Takuya would have thought the words were a poorly-crafted joke, except the he couldn't doubt the will behind those eyes to go through with whatever its owner wanted. So all he said to them was, "Good luck," before he and Kouji disengaged and took off in two different directions.

                However, before Takuya had even gotten ten steps away, someone seized his tail hard enough to yank him to a stop. He yelped instinctively and tripped over his own feet in confusion, hitting the ground face-first.

                Behind him, a childish voice giggled. "Oh no you don't! Bad boy!"

                Takuya twisted around to find Yu holding his tail tight in both of her little hands, grinning at him like a small child who had finally caught the family dog. On the other side of Fearless, Suigin had Kouji in a tight hold, with both of his arms pulled behind him uncomfortably. Balance was hissing and trying his damn hardest to reverse-kick his attack in the shins, but the young woman hardly even noticed.

                Takuya tried and failed to make sense of the situation. He hadn't even seen Reflection move. "How did you…"

                Yu giggled again and gave the auburn-brown hair another hard yank. "See how good our vitamins are? I bet you wish _you_ had some."

                "Let them go, Reflection!" Ryo demanded savagely.

                "Gladly," Suigin smirked, dumping Kouji on the ground as roughly as possible. "It's not like they're any challenge alone, anyway."

                Yu laughed out loud this time and let go of Takuya's tail. The brown-haired boy rubbed his abused appendage with a wince, silently cursing their uselessness.

                "Let me guess," Suigin continued, stepping on Kouji's jacket hem to keep him pinned to the ground. "Your little plan was to have Fearless distract us so that you two could break into the school? I wouldn't even bother. You won't even be able to find your way out of the front hall."

                Kouji growled and grabbed the foot that was pinning him. With a sudden force and a grunt, he threw Suigin off-balance and kicked at her stomach, knocking her flat on her back. "We'll take our chances. Takuya, come on!"

                Takuya didn't even bother shouting a response, just took off while Yu was distracted with her fallen partner, By the time Reflection got their act back together, they already had a thirty-step head start.

                "How did they…"

                "No talking, Yu!" Suigin rolled back onto her feet, snarling like an enticed wolf. "Just get them!"

                The Fighter started to move, but she hadn't even gotten five steps before Ryo slid to a stop directly in her path. At the same moment, Ruki grabbed Suigin's arm and pulled it behind her in one swift motion.

                "Looks like that drug slows your reactions to the unexpected," the redhead girl said into Suigin's ear, like a doctor noticing the strange anomalies in an autopsy. "Interesting. That's really good to know, wouldn't you say, Ryo?"

                "Absolutely, love," Ryo smirked, rolling his shoulders in preparation. "Should make this into a short fight, don't you think?"

                Yu hissed at him like a cornered cat, all of the fur on her tail and ears standing on end. She stepped back in the same moment that Suigin wiggled out of Ruki's hold, so that they were standing side-by-side within just a few steps. Never turning her back on the enemy, Ruki moved around them with long, measured steps, until she had taken her place just behind Ryo. Fearless stood between Reflection and their friends, glaring the school's fighter unit down fiercely.

                After a long moment, Suigin finally let smirk crawl over her face. "Fine then. Let's begin."

                That was all the cue that the two Fighters needed to unfurl their mutual auras and form the battle field. The oval field spread across half the schoolyard, and the two fighters automatically slipped into battle stances. Yu crouched so low that the knuckles of her clenched fists nearly brushed the ground, while Ryo slid back, one arm raising to cover Ruki as best he could.

                The minute that their joined aura had completely solidified, Ryo sprung into action. _"Bind, thorns! Razor's edge!"_

                Silver threads of electricity shot across the ground, knocking gravel aside and creating deep grooves in the playground's surface. At the last moment, they leapt up and jumped for Reflection, but all Suigin had to say was, _"Defend."_

                With a flash, the threads were cut and fell harmlessly to the ground at Yu's feet. Ryo didn't blink. He'd been expecting it, after all – it was the only reason that he'd made the opening gambit. But something bothered him – the expressions on both of the enemy's faces. They seemed to be enjoying themselves far more than anyone going into a life-or-death battle should. In fact, despite the dirt on her face and the ruined state of her hair, Suigin looked as refined as ever, while Yu appeared downright cheery.

                None of this was boding well.

                "If you're finished with your little toss-off," Suigin said coolly, brushing a lock of silver hair out of her eyes. "I think it's time we got serious."

                "Brace yourself, Ryo," Ruki whispered, and her Fighter nodded. His left arm extended to the same distance as his right, protecting Ruki from attack.

                Reflection grinned at them again with identical icy cold smiles. Then, with a hop, skip and twist of her sailor skirt, Yu thrust her hand straight into the air and cast her first spell. **_"WATER!"_**

**( - )**

                Without even glancing back at the ensuing battle, Takuya and Kouji burst through the school's double doors together, using their shoulders as battering rams. The flimsy bolt lock holding the door together gave way instantly under their weight, allowing them to practically fly into the school's main hall. The minute their foot hit the tile, they both twisted around so that they were back-to-back, making absolutely certain that no one could sneak up on them.

                However, as the doors automatically swung closed behind them, the resounding slam that echoed up and down the hall made one thing extremely clear: the hallway and, indeed, the entire school, appeared to be completely empty.

                "…Where is everybody?" Takuya asked hesitantly, his voice echoing around them hollowly.

                "I'm not sure," Kouji uncurled from his battle stance, forcing his body to relax enough to move. "Keep your eyes peeled."

                Takuya nodded once and fell into line behind Kouji. The abandoned hallway looked exactly like any other hallway in any other high school anywhere else in the world, though it was a tad bit more depressing, if such a thing were even possible. The walls were slate grey and lined with black lockers, a pattern which was regularly broken by windowless classroom doors, painted a warmer grey. The floor had no tiles, and the exposed concrete was stained in places, but other than that, it was clean enough to eat off of. In the entire hall, there wasn't a single sign of life besides the two of them.

                "I smell a trap," Kouji muttered under his breath, low enough that it didn't echo at all.

                "Hell, _I _smell a trap," Takuya sighed, rolling his too-tense shoulders as they moved. "You'd think they would have jumped us by now…"

                "Maybe they're just biding their time until…"

                Before Kouji could finish his sentence, a pair of large hands, attached to even larger arms, shot from the barely-cracked classroom door they had been passing by, covered his mouth, and dragged him in. On instinct, Takuya grabbed at his friend, only to have his wrists seized by a pair of much smaller hands.

                Both of the boys were dragged into the empty classroom, the door immediately slammed behind them, and dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Kouji struggled, accidentally kicking Takuya in the side as he reared back to hit his attacker in the solar plexus.

                Said attacker grunted painfully and tightened his grip. "Would you be quiet, you idiot? You're going to get yourselves killed!"

                "We just want to help," a softer, younger voice chimed in. "We're not going to hurt you, we promise."

                Takuya finally pulled his face out of the floor and looked up at their 'attackers.' The one holding onto his wrists was a young boy, maybe ten or eleven years old, with mousy brown hair and big green eyes. Holding onto Kouji was a larger boy, overweight but powerfully built, with short-cropped brown hair and small, serious eyes. They were both dressed in the same black school uniform that Suigin had been wearing, though both of theirs were considerably more tattered and faded. They were both crouched low to the ground, practically holding the two intruders down and pressing against the wall of the otherwise empty classroom.

                Once he was certain that Takuya wasn't going to run away or punch him, the younger boy let go of his wrists and leaned in close to whisper. "Are you Takuya?"

                "I…uh…yeah," Takuya sputtered. "How did you…?"

                "Izumi talks about you a lot," the younger boy whispered, rising up in a crouch and beckoning for Takuya to follow him. "My name's Tomoki. Come on, we'll you right to her."

                "Wait, you'll…what?"

                "Ouch!"

                The larger boy's muffled yelp echoed just slightly, and Tomoki twisted around. "Junpei!"

                "He bit me!" Junpei insisted in the same hushed tone, holding onto one hand with the other. "Crazy bastard bit me!"

                Kouji wiped a hand across his mouth, looking disgusted. "I couldn't _breathe_, you big lug!"

                "Keep it down, the both of you!" Tomoki hissed. "We're gonna get found out!"

                Junpei claimed his mouth shut so fast that his teeth clacked together. Takuya glanced between the two students, eventually following Tomoki as the younger boy moved to the far corner of the room. "What do you mean, get found out?"

                "The Zeroes are waiting for you at the end of the hall," Tomoki explained quietly, patting along the wall with the flat of his hand. "They were going to take you into the Headmaster, but if you do that, you'll never get to Izumi."

                Kouji frowned suspiciously. "And you care why, exactly?"

                "Izumi's our friend," Junpei said seriously, finally climbing to his feet and starting in the same direction as Tomoki. "And if there's anybody who deserves to get out of here, it's her. So just trust us, okay?"

                Kouji's eyes narrowed even more. "And how are we supposed to know that any of that is true?"

                "Well, you can't," Tomoki shrugged. "So you just have to choose whether or not to trust us."

With a light sound of self-satisfaction, Tomoki finally finding the piece that he was looking for. He pressed his hand against the bottom of the wall panel in the far corner and it fell open, revealing a small tunnel just big enough to crawl through. He leaned back against the wall and motioned to the hole in the wall. "So?"

Takuya and Kouji glanced at each other. Finally, Takuya shrugged. "All right, then. Lead the way."

**_TBC…_**


	18. Blindsided

It's…finally…done… (drops dead) DX

**_Disclaimer:_ **_I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I just write. A lot._

**Balance**

**Chapter 17: Blindsided**

Ryo and Ruki were not, by any stretch of the imagination, inexperienced. They had been partners for almost as long as either of them could remember, and since that time, they had been fighting together. Fearless had faced hundreds of opponents on dozens of different battle fields. This was not the first time that they had face an enemy who used water as a weapon.

But this style was nothing like they had ever encountered before.

The moment that the spell had left Yu's mouth, the battle field began to flood. Water sprang from nowhere, rushed to the edge of the elliptical arena and stopped, as though it had hit an invisible wall. From this initial surge, a massive amount of water swelled from the ground up, filling the battlefield like a fish tank within seconds.

Just before their heads went under, Ryo shouted, _"Air!"_ with all the power he could muster. A bubble of air formed around his and Ruki's heads, enabling them to breathe as the water tapered off.

On the other side of the field, Reflection grinned at them like a couple of maniacs – which they could have been, for all Fearless knew. Suigin stood on the bottom of their 'tank' as though her shoes were weighted, her silver hair drifting freely around her like a huge halo. In front, Yu was swimming freely, the school girl uniform's skirt flowing in the unseen currents like a tail, especially as the little girl darted from one side to the other like a hyperactive fish.

Ryo took a deep breath, checking that the air was good, then making sure that Ruki was all right. The redhead looked annoyed and a little silly with the bubble of air around her head, but physically, she was fine.

A distorted giggle caught his ear from across the field and he snapped his head around to glare at the bobbing little girl. Yu twisted around, her blue eyes glinting in the light that refracted through their barriers. A stream of bubbles burst from her mouth without warning.

Before Ryo could react, a silver blade shot from nowhere, slashing at his arm as it shot past to strike Ruki. Fearless's Sacrifice bit her lip, fighting down a pained grunt as metal shackles and chains appeared on her neck and wrists.

Ryo twisted around and tried to ask if his partner was okay, but all he could hear was the muffled sound of his own voice echoing around the bubble. He hissed when he realized what had happened – the air bubbles were keeping them alive, but they couldn't eliminate the water that was keeping them isolated. Even though Ruki was within three feet of him, he couldn't hear her voice, and she could not hear his. What was worse, they couldn't hear Reflection's spells, even as they were cast. They had no idea what they could expect.

Yu giggle again, he voice rolling through the octave of high-pitched notes delightfully, and Suigin smirked arrogantly despite the scattered appearance given to her by the water. A spray of bubbles burst from Yu's mouth, and Ryo acted on instinct. _"Block!"_

The invisible shield sprung to life to block the invisible blow, the force between them pulsing with energy and light, a pocket of bubbles boiling away in an instant. The energy released knocked Ryo back, and he twisted around through the water to right himself again. In that same moment, Yu struck again and landed another blow, the chains on Ruki's cuffs shortening until her wrists were bound up under her chin.

Suigin laughed, the voice carrying through the water with a tinny sound. The woman's eyes were widen and blood-shot, her face stretched into a wild grin, reveling in every bit of power that he drugged-out state had given her. A similar expression spread across Yu's face as well, and the little girl giggled wildly like a gremlin on a massive sugar rush.

Ruki reached out as best she could and grabbed Ryo's shirt with both hands, giving it a few short tugs. Ryo got the message – they had to end this, now, before the drugs released any more of Reflection's mental powers. With every second, their opponents were getting stronger and less inhibited, their minds slowly coming undone as the hidden bonds of power were released.

Reflection was slowly losing their minds.

But Fearless has lost theirs long, long ago.

Yu attacked again, firing blow after blow, each of which shattered one after another on the hard shield that Ryo established. Fearless's fighter unit glanced over his shoulder, making eye contact with his Sacrifice to make sure he had her permission, as well as taking the moment to steel his own resolve.

"Brace yourself," he said, slowly enough for her to easily read his lips. "This is going to hurt."

Ruki nodded, giving him full permission, and flashed one last secretive smirk.

Ryo grinned, then twisted to face their opponents, shattering his own shield in the process. Yu laughed and lunged, Suigin already broadcasting their victory with every fiber of her being, neither of them noticing how Ryo lifted his hands straight up to the sky until it was too late.

**_"Thunder blade!"_**

**( - )**

Far below, scrambling down the dusty, almost too-small passage on their hands and knees, Kouji and Takuya were still wondering just what, exactly, they had gotten themselves into. The little tunnel was just barely big enough for the rather large Junpei – who was in the back of their little line to make sure that no one got lost – could make it through on his hands and knees. There was only a little more room for each of the smaller boys, but there was enough that the much smaller Tomoki was able to duck in and out of the adjunct passageways like a mouse. Stuck between them, Kouji and Takuya could do little more than follow the given path and hope that they weren't being lead into a trap.

Suddenly, the entire tunnel and everything around them jerked violently, the ground jumping and trembling with the force of a natural disaster. Tomoki yelped and lost his footing, tumbling down into the darkness as the tunnel suddenly dipped into a steep slope. Startled, Takuya suddenly realized that there was no ground under his hands, lost his balance and tumbled after their little guide, grabbing onto Kouji at the last moment but only managing to drag the dark-haired Fighter down with him.

The three of them tumbled through the tunnel like pinballs, rolling down one after the other until they finally hit flat ground, then a solid stone wall. Squished between a glowering Kouji and a rather flat-looking Tomoki, Takuya groaned in pain. "What the hell was that?"

"Felt like an earthquake," Junpei sighed, sliding down the slope and using his hands to create a more controlled decent. "But that kind of stuff usually doesn't happened around here."

Kouji grunted, finally pulling himself from the tangled mess of limbs. "It's Fearless."

"Seriously?" Takuya squawked, rolling around to stare at his friend with wide eyes. "All the way down here?"

"It's a critical blow," Kouji muttered, shaking the dust out of his hair and off his shoulders. "A battle-ender. 'Go out with a bang,' you know?"

Takuya frowned, hearing the things that Kouji wasn't saying in the tone between the words. "Are they okay?"

Kouji met his eye, his navy blue irises catching the pale light of Tomoki's shoulder-mounted flashlight to shin even in the gloom of the tunnel. His expression was serious, cold and spoke without his lips saying a word: _"They made their choice."_

Takuya's throat suddenly felt very dry.

Without another word, Kouji broke the eye contact and glanced to Tomoki instead. "How much further?"

"Ah…it's just a little bit," Tomoki said quickly, fumbling to clip his flashlight back onto his armband. Once it was settled back into place, he scrambled a little ahead of the group, arching to the left with the first curve he found. "Just follow me!"

Kouji nodded, as though he had some sort of choice in the matter, and slid under Takuya's arm to push into the second slot of their line. With only a second of hesitation, Takuya followed after, hearing Junpei fall into step just behind him,

Takuya did his best to tell himself that Kouji had the right idea. Kouichi and Izumi were still waiting for them, and there was nothing that they could do for Fearless now. They had come this far, and it was physically impossible for them to turn around now. All they could do was keep going.

But that didn't settle the squirming feeling in his stomach or the panging worry that was sticking into the small of his back. It didn't keep Ryo's smiling face or Ruki's condescending, lovable smirk from appearing in the back of his mind. It didn't make him feel any better about anything at all.

This was their mission – his and Kouji's – their quest, their goal. They were going in for selfish reasons, to get back the things that mattered to _them_. It shouldn't have involved anyone else.

But Fearless had involved themselves.

All he could do was hope that it hadn't turned out to be more than they could handle.

**( - )**

Above them, on the surface, the schoolyard was still as the grave.

The pool of water had vanished, vaporizing away with the end of the battle. Where it had once stood, all that remained was an oval of dead grass, cooked in an instant by the pure energy that had crackled through the water when Fearless's thunderous attack had hit its mark.

Thrown clear of the deathly ring, four figures lay crumpled in two piles. Reflection was sprawled across the ground, their limbs twitching sporadically as the drugs in their systems slowly worked itself out. On the other side lay Fearless, Ryo's arm slung protectively across Ruki's waist, unable to move even if they had wanted to.

After a long while, so long that they could not really figure out exactly _how_ long it had been, Ryo forced his eyes open. The brown orbs burned sensitively in the sparse light, but he fought back the tears of pain and focused on his partner instead, giving her a gentle shake. "…Ruki? Ruki, babe, wake up. Say something. Please."

A light sounded echoed on the wind, and Ryo almost thought the he saw the red head's lips move, though his vision was still too blurry to really tell. "What? What was that?"

"I said…you _idiot_."

A grin instantly spread across Ryo's lips, and he waited just long enough to see her icy amethyst eyes look his way before he pulled Ruki close to him and held on desperately. "Thank god."

"That was the craziest damn stunt you've ever pulled, you dork," Ruki muttered, a thin layer of contempt doing absolutely nothing to mask the relief and affection in her voice. "Were you trying to impress me or something?"

Ryo smirked to himself with a light-hearted chuckle, tightening his grip a little. "Anything for you, babe. Anything for you."

Ruki sighed and kissed Ryo's cheek with a gentleness that seemed almost uncharacteristic. Then, with a groan, she pushed her way out of her Fighter's arms and straightened her body determinedly. "What happened to Reflection?"

Ryo pushed off the ground and lifted his head, blinking blurrily at their opponents. Suigin let out an animalistic moan of pain, writhing and rolling along the ground, and jerked painfully twice in a row before she quieted again. Ryo winced empathetically at the sounds alone. "I think we won. That can't be a pretty sight."

Ruki grunted in agreement, leaning her forehead on Ryo's shoulder. "Serves them right."

"We should do something…"

"We don't have time," Ruki hissed, fisting the cloth of Ryo's shirt. "Balance…and Kanbara…they need us."

"You're right, of course," Ryo sighed, painfully lifting one arm to wrap around her shoulders. "We should hurry and catch up with them, huh?"

Ruki grunted n response and slipped her arms around Ryo's waist. "…Five more minutes."

"Yeah…" Ryo sighed, finally letting his back relax and falling back to the ground again. "Good idea."

Together, the flopped back onto the grass and stopped moving, arms curled around one another just to make sure that each other's chests continued to steadily rise and fall. A wind blew through the yard, chilling the prone forms to their very bones, but they found that, somehow, they really didn't care.

**( - )**

The school basement was as still and silent as the hallway above had been. The only sound that reached anyone's ear was the echoing drip of a leaky pipe in the depths of the barren hall. As such, no one even noticed when one of the thick wall panels shifted, knocking away its thin coating of dust, and detached from the wall entirely to slip to the side.

Tomoki poked his head out cautiously, his thin brown tail twitching in the still air. Satisfied that they hadn't been seen, he slipped out and scurried down the hall like a mouse, hissing as he ran. "Hurry up!"

Kouji appeared from the dark tunnel first, slipping to the side to brush the dirt off his clothes, and Takuya was not far behind. Finally, Junpei squeezed out at the very end, hopped confidently to his feet and hurried after his younger classmate. His extra-long, extra-bushy tail brushed along the ground, leaving a path in the dust like some kind of broom. He fumbled around in his pockets, pulling out a large ring of keys, and quickly located the one that he was looking for.

"Izumi's in here," he explained quickly, inserting the key into the first windowless door. Takuya darted over in a second, his auburn-furred ears twitching in the wind of his movement, and he held his breath expectantly.

The stiff old lock fell into place, and Junpei hauled the deceptively heavy door open. Takuya stepped forward, sticking his head into the pitch-black room cautiously. "Izumi-chan…?"

A low, cat-like hiss from the darkness was the only warning he got before a kick to the chest knocked all the wind out of him. Takuya doubled over in pain, only to be forced up again when a thin, strong hand grabbed him by the wrist and tossed him back against the heavy wall."

"Damn you, _sensei,_" Izumi missed dangerously, her eyes tightly closed and covered by one arm to block even the pale, flickering white light of the single bulb. "After everything you've done, I hope you rot in-"

"Izumi!" Tomoki cried, throwing his too-thin little arms around her waist. "Stop! It's _us!_"

Recognizing the voice, Izumi stopped. She lowered her arms and forced her eyes open, blinking several times as her light-deprived eyes slowly adjusted. Her pupils finally closed up to the point where it didn't hurt to keep her eyes wide, and she looked down at the smaller boy in befuddlement. "Tomo…ki? Jun?"

Tomoki grinned at her, nodding in affirmation, and Junpei patted her shoulder. Izumi blinked a few more times, looking around, and it took her quite a while to really convince herself that she was seeing what she thought she was seeing.

"…Takuya-kun?"

Takuya grinned through the pain, rubbing the spot where she had kicked him, and coughed. "Remind me to never make you mad."

A grin spread across Izumi's face in spite of the tears that were starting to shine on the edge of her eyes. Pulling out of Tomoki's grip, she dashed across the hall and threw her arms around Takuya's shoulders. "Oh, god, Takuya…I thought I'd never see you again. I can't believe you're here…"

"I know what you mean," Takuya sighed, wrapping his arms around her just to make sure that she was really real. "God, I know what you mean…"

The sound of feet scurrying and sliding across the rough ground broke them out of their little world. Kouji had broken away from the group to search the hallway himself. Only about half of the doors had windows, and they were all fairly high up, but he was standing on his toes to peer into each one. As he moved, his entire body shook with nervous energy, and Takuya frowned at the thought. "Kouji…"

"Where is he?" Kouji snapped in Junpei's direction, his voice practically drowning in concern and fear. "Where is my brother? I have to find him…"

"Balance…" Izumi uncurled from Takuya's hug, her ears pressing down against her head worriedly. I don't know if you want to…"

"Kouichi!"

Izumi winced as Kouji shouted through the window he had found, the fur on his ears and tail standing on end. Through the thick glass of the window, he could see his brother, curled into a ball in the far corner of the room with his head on his knees and his hands covering his head. His shoulders were trembling, slowly but heavily enough that it could be clearly seen in spite of the distance between them.

Kouji dropped back to the flat of his feet and shot Junpei a demanding glare. "Open it."

"Now, hold on a second…"

"_Please_," Kouji whispered, his voice almost, but not quite, dropping to the level of pleading. "He needs me…Please."

Junpei suppressed a groan, but scrambled through the keys to find the right one, his hands stumbling over the thick metal pieces. The moment he unlocked the door, Kouji pulled it open ad dashed inside, hurrying to his brother. "Kouichi!"

The elder twin looked up, lifting his head just enough that the darkened navy eyes were finally visible. "…Kouji?"

"Nii-san," Kouji sighed in relief, dropping to his knees and reaching for his brother with both hands. "Thank go you're okay…"

Kouichi winced and curled away from his brother's touch, curling into an even tighter ball and burying his eyes in his knees again. "Don't touch me."

Kouji stopped dead. "Nii-san-"

"Just don't!" Kouichi's voice broke over a hiccupping sob. "Don't touch me, don't look at me, just…don't… _please_…"

"Kouichi," Kouji whispered, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Nii-san. What…What did they do to you?"

Takuya hovered in the doorway, one hand still tight in Izumi's grip, the other resting on Tomoki's head for lack of anything else to do with it. He watched the scene silently, the frustration of not being bale to help his friends tugging on his heart. Something was wrong, horrible wrong, and it nagged him constantly to figure out what it was…

And then he did.

He realized what was missing, and the thought made his eyes widen in horror.

"Kouichi," he whispered, hardly able to bring his voice up enough to say the words. "What happened to your tail?"

Kouji stopped short, eyes shooting to the place where his brother's tail _should_ have been attached, only to find that it was completely gone. In the next moment, he had seized Kouichi's wrists and forced his hands away from his head.

Kouichi stared at Kouji in horror, tears in his eyes and an ugly bruise on his cheek, but the blue-point cat ears that _should_ have been sitting amongst the soft black locks were nowhere to be seen. The elder twin took in a few soft, shuddering breaths, registering the disgust on his brother's face, and closed his eyes in shame. "I'm sorry, Kouji…"

_"Bastard_."

Kouichi winced back, as though he expected to be struck, but by that time he had already been pulled against Kouji's chest. Kouji clung to his brother with both arms, his entire body trembling with barely-contained rage.

"I'll kill him," Kouji growled, only just keeping himself in check. "I'll kill him for this, I'll kill the goddamn bastard myself…"

Izumi bit her lip and turned away from the scene, unable to watch. Down here, the walls were strong, but thin, and sound carried a very long way through the pipes. She had heard everything, every hateful word that Sensei had spoken to the boy, every futile attempt at defiance, every whimper when he finally broke. It hurt to remember, it had hurt to hear, and it hurt to watch the aftermath. Junpei put a concerned hand on her shoulder, and she gave him a short, reassuring look. After all, _she_ was fine.

Takuya tensed, holding on to Izumi's hand all the tighter. He clenched his jaw and stared at the broken floor panel under Tomoki's right foot, as though, if he concentrated on it long enough, it would magically make all of this go away.

Given the circumstances, he thought that he had taken the last few weeks rather well. Being stalked by magical-powered freaks, getting thrown from situation to situation without any chance of getting his baring straight, having the only girl he'd ever really connected with stolen away…he could deal with all of that, in time. In a way, it had almost made him stronger. It almost seemed like a good thing.

But this…this was unforgiveable.

This school was going to pay. Somehow, someway, someone would suffer for this.

_He_ would make sure of that.

**_TBC…_**

Please excuse the inordinately long amount of time that this chapter took. It's been a bad semester. -.-;


	19. Surrender and Understanding

Damn, but these chapters seem to be taking longer and longer…I feel like I should say something, but I really can't think of anything to say. Um…please leave a review? You'll make my day, really you will. This chapter was going to be longer, but I got seriously stuck and decided you guys might appreciate getting what I had done and giving me a little extra time to work on the extra couple of scenes. Hope that it's still good!

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I just write. A lot._

**Balance**

**Chapter 18: Surrender and Understanding**

"Okay, we need to get out of here, like, _now_."

Junpei's words echoed through the dark, empty underground hallway with an unsettling kind of nervous energy. He was crouched in front of the entrance to their secret tunnel system, Tomoki peaking nervously over his shoulder from within. Izumi was standing beside them, shifting nervously from one foot to the other, watching as Kouji and Takuya half-carried Kouichi out of his cell. The elder twin could crawl somewhat, but was having trouble walking on his own, and thus was forced to be supported from either side.

Izumi nibbled her lip. "Are you…?"

"We're fine," Takuya assured, pausing to adjust his grip in the doorway of the ruined classroom. "Don't worry about us, 'Zumi. Go on, we'll be right behind you."

"You guys have to hurry," Tomoki urged, practically buzzing with nervous energy. "The teachers know you're here, and it's only a matter of time before they decide to come down!"

As though responding to his cue, the sound of a door slamming open echoed from the stair case at the other end of the hall. It was quickly followed by two sets of footsteps- one loud and bold, the other soft and almost sneaky- both of which grew louder with every passing second.

To everyone's surprised, Izumi acted first of all of them. She planted a foot on Junpei's shoulder and pushed him into the tunnel, shoving the plaster piece back into place with surprising force.

"Hide!" she gasped, holding the plaster closed despite Junpei and Tomoki's inevitable protests.

"What?" Takuya gasped, nearly losing his grip on Kouichi. Kouji dove to take all of his brother's weight onto his own shoulders, shooting Takuya a dirty look, but barely had time to regain his balance before Izumi had shoved both of the twins back into their room.

"You all have to hide!" Izumi insisted, grabbing Takuya by the collar and practically tossing him in after the twins. "Get down, stay down and be quiet, _please!_"

Takuya stumbled into the gloomy, ruined room, tumbling to the floor just as Izumi swung the door closed. He twisted around and clawed for the knob, only to find that Izumi was holding the door shut from the outside. Takuya pressed his ear against the wooden door, his eyes wandering to the twins with a desperate expression as the two sets of footsteps finally came to a stop.

"Well, well, well," a deep, almost friendly male voice chuckled with a thin layer of malevolence coating every word. "Looks like the princess managed to wiggle her way out of the tower."

Out of the corner of his eye, Takuya saw Kouichi wince and curl into Kouji's arms, covering his head like a child trying to hide from an imaginary monster. Takuya bit his lip and stretched up to peak out of the small window near the top of the door, catching a quick glimpse of the two figures that had Izumi cornered. One of them was an extraordinarily pale, blonde girl dressed entirely in black, the other a dark-haired boy with glasses that looked almost like an older, near-sighted Kouichi. He was smirking at Izumi with a predatory gleam in his eye, while the older girl's face was a blank and unemotional as a porcelain doll.

"Decided to rescue yourself, then?" The boy taunted, reaching out to pat Izumi's cheek in a condescending manner. "I guess you must have gotten tired of waiting for dear old Prince Charming to ride in and sweep you away."

To her credit, Izumi did not so much as flinch in the face of this threat. Takuya held his breath as the strange boy moved to cup her chin, silently curing the bastard for daring to lay a hand on her.

"Or _maybe_…" the older teen's smirk widened even more, dim light glinting of his perfectly white teeth like a shark's, "the Prince is already here."

Izumi's breath hitched, just slightly, but that was all it took for the other girl's icy blue eyes to glint in satisfaction. "Bingo."

In the next moment, the boy with the glasses had thrown Izumi out of the way and thrown the door open triumphantly. Takuya had almost been ready to scramble back into the shadows, but the sight of Izumi skidding across the cold stone floor sent him into a rage.

"You son of a bitch!"

Takuya launched himself out of the door and grabbed onto the boy's jacket. The force of his jump twisted them around until the teen's back was to the twins. The moment that Takuya got his footing, he used his grip on the cloth to pull himself up and slam his fist into the older boy's stomach.

The teen doubled over slightly, his eyes and glasses disappearing behind this hair as the air was forcibly expelled from his mouth.

Behind him, the little goth girl did not react at all to the sudden attack, unless you counted taking a step back as a of reaction. "Osamu."

"Don't worry, Alice."

Takuya jerked back from the cold voice, but his reactions weren't fast enough. 'Osamu' grabbed the arm that had been holding his shirt by the wrist and yanked it lose, hoisting it above Takuya's head in the next swift motion. "I've got this one covered."

Next thing Takuya knew, his jaw was in tremendous pain and he was stumbling blindly backwards, away from his attacker. His back slammed into the opposite wall, knocking the air for his lungs for a split second. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Izumi rolling to her feet, shouting, "No!" but it was too late for her to come to his rescue.

A second later, Osamu reappeared and filled his entire field of vision. The flat of the older teen's hand slammed into the wall next to Takuya's head with enough force that Takuya's ears began to ring. Osamu grinned sadistically down at his cornered prey, his glasses covered by a bright glare as he pulled his arm back and…

"Takuya!"

"Kouji, don't…!"

Takuya barely had time to turn his head before Kouji came out of nowhere and slammed his fist into the side of Osamu's skull. The older boy stumbled a few feet, his glasses clattering to the stone floor.

Kouji slid back from the attack into a defensive stance, rubbing his sore knuckles. Takuya hesitated, taking a single step along the wall, away from the older boy. Once he was assured that nothing was going to happen for a moment, he hurried to Izumi's side. "Are you all right?"

"No," Izumi muttered, though she had already climbed to her feet anyway. "None of us are…Balance…"

"That wasn't very smart."

Osamu's hiss was so cold and threatening that it sent a physical chill down Takuya's spine. The look that the older boy gave Kouji when he turned his head back was the perfect match for his tone – like an enraged serpent ready to turn the nearest unfortunate annoyance into his next meal.

Kouji slid into a defensive stance, his fists raised, but was taken completely by surprise as the older boy attacked. Osamu shot across the floor in an eye blink, striking upwards with a flat chop to catch Kouji in the neck. Kouji tumbled backwards, gripping his throat and hacking painfully to get the air he needed back into his lungs.

Takuya jerked after him, ready for the offensive. "Kouji…"

"Don't!" Kouji snapped and coughed painfully a few more times before his voice completely returned. "Don't get involved, Takuya! I can handle this!"

"Oh, can you now?"

Osamu suddenly moved again, this time, to bring his foot up into Kouji's stomach. Kouji grunted, using the force of the blow to roll back to his feet, and stumbled into a defensive stance in spite of the fact that he was still gasping for breath.

Takuya shivered. Even he could feel the sudden black, cold intensity that radiated outward from Osamu's aura. He could only imagine what it was like for Kouji, trained in sensing such things and right in the thick of it all. Kouji was facing down a monster, a nightmare. Takuya was amazed that his friend could stay so calm.

Just beyond, in the doorway of the otherwise abandoned cell, Kouichi remained crouched on the ground, gripping the doorframe and staring at the battle in horror. "Kouji…"

"All right," Kouji hissed, lunging into another attack. "This is it…!"

"Kouji _DON'T!_"

Kouji stopped dead in his tracks, only barely dodging a blow to his stomach, and twisted around to stare at his brother. "Kouichi…"

"Get away from them, _now!_" the Sacrifice shouted, gripping the door frame so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "You can't fight them like this, you'll only get hurt!"

"Nii-san…"

"I'm _ordering_ you, Kouji! Get back here, _now!_"

"How sweet."

Kouji jerked away from Osamu's sudden intervention, but he wasn't fast enough to escape as the older boy seized his left arm and forced it behind his back. Kouji bit down on a yelp of pain as the limb was forced up into an unnatural position, striking back with his other arm, only to find himself completely grappled by the larger teen.

Still smirking, Osamu leaned over to speak tauntingly into his captive's ear. "You hear that? You big brother is _so_ worried about you. It must break his little heart to see you get hurt. It's kind of cute, isn't it, Alice dear?"

Somehow, in all the confusion, the older girl had managed to slip into the doorway alongside Kouichi without being noticed. Now she dropped into a knelling position, seizing Kouichi's head roughly with one hand and pressing the sharp nails of the opposite one against his neck, as though she would slit his throat with her own black-painted manicure if given half a chance. "Humph. Cute."

Takuya jerked forward a few steps, but Izumi grabbed his arm to stop him from attacking. Osamu noticed the move and smirked a little wider, turning so that Kouji was held directly between Takuya and himself. "You wanna take a shot at me, too? Go right ahead. I'm sure Balance here can take it."

Takuya clenched his fists so tightly that his arms began to shake. "Bastard…"

"You can't expect them to play fair," Izumi whispered, keeping her voice low enough that only Takuya could hear her. "Zeroes aren't like normal people. They're not even supposed to exist. They're beyond the rules. The only thing that they obey is what the Principal tells them."

Takuya dug his nails deeper into his palms and continued to stare straight ahead, cursing this 'Zero,' his partner and everything that had created them.

Osamu, meanwhile, just smirked wider at the display and yanked a struggling Kouji back into like. "So…I think it's about time we make a deal."

Izumi and Takuya tensed, but didn't have time to respond before the Zero continued. "You see, Principal-sensei has been _very_ interested in the two of you…but at the same time, he has a responsibility to keep _these_ two troublemakers from harming our School's reputation." He wrapped an arm around Kouji's neck to keep him still and nodded to Kouichi in example. "But Alice-chan and I _only_ have four hands between us, so we couldn't possibly force all of you upstairs at once.

"So…" his smirk widened even further, the dark eyes that had once been hidden by thick glasses shrinking into tiny, maniacal dots. "You two have something of a choice. You can either come upstairs with us to meet Principal-sensei, _or_," he seized Kouji's left hand and forced it around in front of his face where everyone could see it, pulling the smaller boy back against him to keep him trapped, "you leave Balance here to take their punishment _and_ yours."

In the next split second, Osamu had snapped Kouji's pointer finger cleanly through the middle joint. The crack of the shattering bone echoed through the hall, quickly drowned out by Kouji's resulting howl of pain.

"Kouji!" Kouichi gasped, trying to lunge for his brother, but was stopped in his tracks by Alice's grip.

The girl dug her nails into a sensitive pressure point along Kouichi's neck, holding him in place easily. "Don't move."

"Stop it!" Izumi demanded, her face pale with horror as Osamu reached for Kouji's middle finger. "That's enough!"

"Oh, I don't think so, Princess," Osamu chuckled, shifting his grip along the joints of the chosen finger. "This isn't even worth one percent of what you four owe…"

"She said _enough!" _Takuya broke in, only barely surprising the sickening wretch that bubbled from him as Osamu slowly began to bend Kouji's digit unnaturally. "Don't! Kouji…"

Kouji grit his teeth, as though he wanted to say something but was too focused on the inevitable pain that was to come to materialize the sound.

"Takuya-kun…" Kouichi whimpered, still held completely still, his eyes dancing to Takuya desperately. "Takuya-kun, _please_…"

Takuya clenched his jaw and closed his eyes tight. A keening, pained noise forced its way from Kouji's throat as the finger bent further, further…until…

"All right!"

Osamu stopped. "What was that?"

"You win," Takuya muttered, staring at the ground, his entire body going slack with surrender. "We'll go. Just…"

"_Stop_ it," Izumi begged, her hands pressed over her mouth in horror. "_Please_."

Osamu snickered in triumph and shoved Kouji away. Alice release Kouichi, letting the older twin scramble to his brother's side. Kouji cradled his broken hand against his chest and cursed, staring up, not at either Zero, but at Takuya and Izumi.

"You _can't_ do this," he hissed savagely. "You hear me, Takuya? You can't _do_ this! You can't just let them win!"

"Silly Balance," Osamu chuckled, picking his glasses up and slipping them on coldly. "We've already won."

**( - )**

The Frost Moon Academy principal's office was cold, dark, gloomy, foreboding, and came with its own private aura of malice that child any who ventured within its walls to the very bone.

And he liked it that way.

The principal of Frost Moon Academy, true to the chilly nature of his title, was not a very warm or flexible man. His every action was thoroughly planned to render optimum efficiency, and his office was no different. The bare desk, cold atmosphere and dark, claustrophobic area stuck an appropriate amount of fear in his students' hearts. Fear leapt them in line and foster respect. Even more, it encouraged obedience to their teachers, (no, their _handlers_) who would protect them from the big, bag principal-sensei, if only they would obey.

Besides all that, he found it to be quite a comfortable location in its own right. The shadows were relaxing, but the cold kept him awake and alert. Just the way he liked it.

Also in the office was a wall of softly-glowing monitors, gleaming with a sickly green light as they flickered absently through the spy-camera views of every room and hallway in the school. Everyone knew about his hidden eyes and ears, but no one knew exactly where they were, not the teachers nor the students. They only knew that the Principal's eyes were always on them, always watching everything…

The lonely, old , black phone on his desk rang suddenly, drawing him out of his thoughts. On the second ring, he answered. "Yes?"

"Good evening, Principal-_sensei_."

Alone in the dark, a smirk crawled across his face like a centipede. "Good evening, Soubi-_kun_. To what do I own the pleasure?"

"I'm not interested in playing games, _Sensei_," Soubi responded in a condescending way that held absolutely no respect despite its precise, polite phrasing. "I want to know just what it is you think you're doing with Balance."

"Do I sense a bit of jealousy, Soubi-_kun_?"

"I said no games," Soubi's voice hissed. "Where. Are. They?"

The principal's eyes flickered to the monitors once more, focusing on the image of six teens moving stiffly through the lower halls. "I have no idea."

"_Liar."_

"I don't see why it's any of your business, Soubi-_kun_," the principal responded coldly. "What I choose to do with my students is none of your concern."

"Yes, but you would do well to remember that Balance are not _your_ students," Soubi retorted, just as coldly. "They're _mine_."

With that, there was a sharp _click_ and the line went dead, a soft dial tone buzzing soon after. The principal hung up, leaning back in his cushy desk chair. His icy, sickly green eyes wandered lazily back to the monitors, watching everything, tracking everything.

"We'll just have to see then, Soubi-_kun_," he whispered to the silent room. "We'll just have to see…"

**( - )**

The journey through the dark and gloomy halls of the School couldn't help but feel something like a funeral procession.

Alice led the way, her eyes pointed directly ahead without a sound. Somehow, the majority of her body managed to stay completely still even as she moved, giving her the oddly stiff appearance of a particularly solid ghost. Takuya and Izumi trailed behind her, not quite touching, but very close to one another nonetheless. The twins limped along behind them, Kouji supporting half of Kouichi's weight, taking comfort in each other's presence. Osamu brought up the rear, his eyes narrowed threatening on the twin's backs and smirking darkly the whole way.

About ten minutes after they emerged from the darkness of the basement, Takuya turned to glance back at their male captor. "Hey…you."

"Don't be so rude," Osamu chastised, clicking his tongue. "My name is Ichijouji Osamu, and I came from a pretty prominent family way back when. You better call me Ichijouji-_sempai_ if you know what's good for you."

Takuya bit down on his tongue to muffle the disgusted sound he wanted to make. "Fine, _sempai_. Look, you're a pretty strong guy, right?"

Osamu raised an annoyed eyebrow, as though he couldn't imagine anybody saying something so stupid. "Obviously."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Doing…what?"

"Working as the School's lapdog," Takuya deadpanned, keeping his voice even and never breaking eye contact. "If you're so tough, why are you letting them order you around?"

Before Osamu could answer, Kouji scoffed. "Because, Takuya, the only reason these two _have_ that power is because of the School."

"Kouji…" Kouichi said hesitantly, increasing his grip on his brother's shoulder. "Don't…"

"Zeroes are artificial creatures as fake as their Name," Kouji pressed on, his voice cold and accusatory. "The Schools began developing them years ago as the ultimate weapon. A Unit that feels no pain, no fear, no _nothing_, except what they need to connect with their partner. The only reason they exist at all is because of what the School does, and as long as the School is in power, so are they."

Osamu gazed at Kouji over the top of his glasses, regarding him the same way he might have regarded a large bug.

Kouji's scowl deepened, and he clenched his good hand in the cloth of Kouichi's shirt, his broken finger still throbbing in pain."Without the School, these two would be nothing Absolute _zeroes_. That's why they do this."

Takuya frowned and glanced to Izumi. "Is that…true?"

"Hm…" Osamu pushed his glasses up his nose, the lenses flashing in the pale light. "It's close than you'd think."

A second later, he grabbed each of the twins by their opposite shoulders and shoved them forward, pushing them past Izumi and Takuya roughly. "Keep moving, all of you."

"Hey!" Izumi yelped as she was shoved back into the lockers with a metallic clang. "Watch it!"

"Are you okay?" Takuya asked, reaching for her.

Inexplicably, as Takuya helped Izumi to her feet, Osamu suddenly stopped. He stood very still for a moment, gripping the twins in a way that had to be painful. Kouji winced and Kouichi shot the older boy a glare that could kill demons, but Osamu paid them no mind.

"Let me ask you something, Kanbara," he said slowly, without looking back. "Do you love that girl?"

Takuya fumbled his grip on Izumi's arm in surprise. "W-What was that?"

"Do you _love_ her?"

"I…I…"

"_Do you love her or not?!"_

Takuya met Izumi's eye for a split second and, instantly, all of his fumbling thoughts were silenced.

"…Yes. I do."

Izumi smiled at him, and it was beautiful.

"How much?"

"What?"

"How much do you love her?" Osamu clenched his fists a bit more tightly before he pushed the twins awayu, ignore the way that Kouji shot him another poisonous glare. "What would you be willing to give up to be with her? Clearly, you're willing to risk you own freedom, but how far would you push it? Would you give up your sanity for her? Your family? Your life? Your _soul?"_

Takuya found that he couldn't say a word. He exchanged a confused glance with Izumi, who seemed just as baffled by the odd conversation as he was. There was something in the older boy's words, something deeper than the usual mocking, toying games. It was deeper, pervasive, consuming and…tragic.

"Think about that for a while," Osamu hissed, his voice dripping with the hidden sorrow. "If you can't understand how much a love like that means, then you can't even _begin_ to talk about our motives."

With that, he continued on his way, pushing the twins ahead of him with the utmost confidence that Izumi and Takuya would follow. The pensive expression had vanished, replaced once again by the coy, teasing smirks and sadistic gleams. It was as though he hadn't said anything at all.

Izumi and Takuya hesitated for just a moment, sharing one last look that did absolutely nothing to answer their questions. Then they struggled to their feet and followed after, into the darkness of an empty hall that now seemed as silent as an baandoned grave.

_**TBC…**_


	20. The Headmaster's Challenge

Again, please pardon the long time it's taken for me to update. It's a bit longer than usual, hope that makes up for it. Also, I hate this chapter, but I love the ending, so at least some good came from it. I have promised myself that I'm going to finish this story by the end of the summer, so please keep looking out for it!

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I just write. A lot._

**Balance**

**Chapter 19: The Headmaster's Challenge**

Almost a full half-hour after their battle's explosive conclusion, Ruki and Ryo finally found themselves together enough to drag their aching bodies – and those of their opponents – into the main school building.

"I officially hurt all over," Ryo groaned from beneath Suigin's silver hair. "And this weirdo's pretty heavy for a girl…it's like lugging around a steel beam…"

"Complaining is not going to help anything…" Ruki muttered, shifting her grip on Yu to unceremoniously dump the smaller girl on the floor. She straightened out her spine with a pained groan that betrayed just how much she agreed with her partner's previous complaints.

Ryo sighed, lowering his knees to let Suigin slide to the floor as well. "Maybe this wasn't such a hot idea."

"Too late to turn back now," Ruki reasoned, popping a painful-sounded crick out of her shoulder. "We don't – nngh! – have time for hindsight. We have to find Balance and…"

"WOAH!" _Crash!_

All pain forgotten, Fearless spun around just in time to watch a large boy with short-cropped brown hair roil out of the wall, throwing a loose piece of paneling completely clear as he did. He rolled across the hall and crashed bodily into the opposite wall. He groaned, uncurling from his pill bug-like rolled position and rubbing a sore elbow tenderly. "Ow…"

"Junpei!"

The frantic voice echoed out from the hole in the wall, where a smaller boy with mousey brown hair was clinging on to the edges of the wall in an almost desperate manner. His eyes darted wildly between his friend and Fearless, as though he expected them to attack the larger boy at any moment. "Oh no…"

"I know, I know…" The larger boy, 'Junpei,' groaned as he slowly straightened out his body. "We have to hurry, we have to get ahead before Izumi and the guys…oh."

His eyes finally landed on Fearless, stopping him in mid-sentence and draining the color from his face. His mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish out of water, but no words managed to come out.

Ryo and Ruki regarded this odd scene for a moment, glanced at one another, then turned back again. Ryo put his hands on his hips and smirked a bit, amused. "Let me guess – you're friends with Orimoto Izumi?"

The two boys – underclassmen, Fearless could tell now that they had gotten a good look at their tattered uniforms – gaped at the Unit as though they had five heads and six arms between them. The one called Junpei continued to open and close his mouth without a word for a few more silent syllables before a sound finally managed to fight its way out. "Y-You're the _Monitors!_"

"We _were_ the Monitors," Ruki sniffed, glaring down her nose at him.

The smaller boy scrambled around a bit like a crab that had gotten stuck on its back until he finally managed to pop back to his feet. Unlike his friend, he kept his eyes locked with Ryo's (though they skittered away whenever he got so much as a glimpse of Ruki's violet irises) and spoke with admirable stability. "You came here with Balance and Kanbara-kun, right?"

Ryo took point, raising his eyebrow at the boy in curiosity. "Yeah, that's about right."

"Then you have to help them!" the boy stepped forward and grabbed Ryo's arm with both of his hands pleadingly. "Izumi-chan and Kanbara-kun and, and Balance! They're in big trouble and we're not strong enough to do anything and…you have to help them!"

Ryo regarded the smaller boy calmly. "What's your name kid?"

"Tomoki."

"Right then. Slow down and tell me what you're talking about. Where's Balance, and what have the gotten themselves into now?"

Tomoki took a big, deep breath before launching into his story. In quick, steady words, he began to relate the entire sordid tale from the beginning. Something inside of Ryo was deeply impressed by the boy's diligence. Tomoki relayed all the needed information without so much as blinking, and he didn't even flinch even when he spoke of the 'punishment' that Kouichi had received, and the battle they had heard through the thin plaster of the wall.

Once he was finally done, Ryo and Ruki shared a Look. "Right," Ryo sighed, pushing the still-unconscious Yu and Suigin in the underclassmen's direction. "This is going to be big. We'll head to the Headmaster's office and do what we can to back them up. You two take care of these lumps, okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" Junpei stuttered, half-lifting Suigin off the ground. "Okay, we can do that."

"If you say so," Tomoki said hesitantly, kneeling down to check Yu's pulse. He looked up at Fearless with an anxious expression. "Just…hurry, please. Do everything you can to help them."

Ruki snorted, as though the idea of doing anything less was little more than a joke. Ryo just grinned. "No worries, kiddo. We will."

It wasn't a promise. It was simply a statement of fact.

**( - )**

"Sensei, we're here."

Osamu's crisp, clear voice matched the sharp raps of his knuckles against the heavy wooden door. The sounds mixed together into a rhythmic chorus as it echoed back down the hallway. For a while afterwards, the awkward procession just stood in stifling silence, until a voice finally came from behind the door. "Come in."

The voice was soft and regal, barely loud enough to be heard through the thick wood of the door. Takuya was surprised at the gentleness of it. Even more so, he was surprised by the chill that slid into his stomach at the sound.

Osamu opened the door and held it open, ducking low into an exaggerated bow. Alice planted one hand on Takuya's shoulder and the other on Kouji's, shoving them forward without so much as a word. Kouichi and Izumi were not far behind.

The room that they entered was small, dark, cold and unpleasant. On the far left, a wall full of video screens flickered away with a sickly green light. Most of them flashed between the various winding halls and twisting passages of the School, but the bank in the very middle were all tuned to a dozen different variations of the same scene: Tomoki and Junpei, huddled beside one of their oh-so-secret passageways, with Ryo and Ruki at their side. The quartet huddled together for a few moments, talking in hushed voices, and then Fearless took off down the hall, the two underclassmen watching them go. Once Fearless was out of sight, the screens flickered again and played the scene again in an endless loop.

Izumi sucked in her breath and grabbed Takuya's elbow. "No. Oh, _no_."

"Oh, yes."

The Principal stepped out of the shadowy corner that he had been hiding in, bathing his face in the meager light. It brought out exactly how pale he was, how his face was stretched and gaunt and his eyes gleaming and sharp. He looked a little like an albino snake, his dark hair blending in with the shadows until it might as well not exist. It was brushed back at the temple and fell down to his shoulders in a smooth shock of darkness.

He reached out with one extra-long hand and ran his pointed fingertips along one of the middle screens. "Did you really believe, Miss Orimoto, that I wouldn't know about your little friends? All of the so-called 'secret' tunnels are carefully monitored, and they have been since the school's inception. Allowing students a slight illusion of independence decreases true insubordination and rebelliousness by thirty-seven per cent.

"Though of course," a creepy smile, the kind usually worn by serial killers in cliché horror movies, spread across the Headmaster's face as he turned back to face them, "even I can't devise a way to keep _all_ of you out of trouble. You're living proof of that, Miss Orimoto."

Takuya stepped between him and Izumi defensively. The Principal just chuckled.

Behind them, Kouichi looked like he wanted nothing more than to curl up into the shadows and disappear. He held on to Kouji's arm with both hands, ducking his head to hide behind his brother's shoulder. He was shaking from head to toe, staring at the Principal with wide, fearful eyes.

Kouji's ears pressed against his head in worry and he twisted his arm to hold his brother's hand. "Nii-san, what-"

"Don't," Kouichi choked, burying his eyes in Kouji's shirt. "Just don't ask, Kouji. Don't look at him, don't say anything, just…"

The Headmaster smirked at him, stretching his face into a cold, maniacal grin that could only come from the blackest of hearts. "Not happy to see me again, Balance? After that _wonderful_ chat we shared?"

He stretched out a spindly, skeletal arm in the boy's direction. To his credit, Kouichi did not shrink away from the man's reach, though he was far too far away to actually touch him. Instead, the Sacrifice averted his eyes and stared into a distant, dark corner, holding more tightly on to Kouji's arm.

Balance's Fighter Unit bristled defensively, but he couldn't hide the confusion on his face.

The Headmaster's smile widened a bit. "So you didn't tell your dear brother about our little date? How selfish of you, Balance-chan."

He took a step and seemed to melt into the shadows. He reappeared a moment later, directly behind the twins, though Takuya hadn't so much as felt him brush past. He ran two fingers along Kouichi's face, from ear to chin, guiding the boy's face in his direction. Kouichi's eyes moved to the side and refused to look at him.

"We had so much fun together," the Principal cooed, his voice dripping with sweetness as fake as sweet-n-low. His hand moved to scratch the tender skin where Kouichi's Ears had been just twenty-four hours before. "Perhaps next time we could bring Little Brother in on our games? Then I'd have a matching set."

"You won't lay a _hand_ on him!" Kouichi hissed, finally meeting the teacher's eye.

In the same moment, Kouji twisted around protectively and ripped the older man's hands away. His face burned with rage as he clawed at the older gentleman's face. "Don't you touch him, you bastard! Don't you _dare_ touch him, ever again!"

Kouichi opened his mouth to call the Fighter back, but it was too late to stop the events that were to unfold. Kouji shoved the Principal into the wall, still holding onto his arms and snarling like a savage beast. An instant later, Osamu and Alice were flanking Kouji from either side, wrenching his arms away from their precious Sensei. Said teacher just laughed, especially as Osamu took full hold of Kouji's body and swung him around into the wall. There was a sickening _crack_ and a strangled cry as his head collided with the hard, reinforced plaster.

"Minamoto!" Izumi gasped, jerking forward a step.

"Kouji!" Kouichi echoed, lunging into the fray. He struggled to get to his brother's side, but Alice held him back with one thin arm as though he were nothing more than a toddler. "Stop! Please, just stop it! Please!"

The Principal chuckled, re-adjusting his collar and brushing away the dust that had settled in the hem of his shirt. He ran a thumb along the cheek that Kouji had mauled and came away with a long splotch of blood, which seemed to amuse him. He leaned over Osamu's shoulder casually and ran his bloodied finger along the tips of Kouji's cat-ears. They twitched away from his touch and the boy hissed at him in disgust.

"You Fighters. Always so quick to anger and violence," the Headmaster clicked his tongue, sliding a hand down the back of Kouji's neck and loosening the rubber band that held his ponytail in place. He leaned down as if to whisper in the sensitive cat ears, but instead licked away the clinging droplets of his own blood and spoke loud enough for the entire room to hear. "It's so _exciting_. If you're really so impatient, I think I could spare the time to have a little fun right now…"

"Cut it out!" Takuya demanded, feeling. He jabbed one accusatory finger at Zero, first at Alice, then at Osamu. "Your flunkies here told us that if we came to you, you'd leave the twins alone."

"Liar," Alice spat coldly, her expression as blank as a statue.

Osamu clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on Kouji. "You're twisting our words around, buddy. We only said that your coming along peacefully would let you four _share_ your punishment, instead of heaping it all on your little friends. After all, you all still owe the School a hefty fine. Isn't that right, Headmaster?"

"Indeed it is," the Principal's eyes gleamed sickeningly in the sickly green of his monitor bank as he pulled away from the two entwined fighters. With another step, he seemed once again to vanish, appearing like a ninja behind his desk as though he hadn't a care in the world. "Of course, I would never want the students to think be inordinately cruel. We'll have to be sure that the punishment fits the crime."

"But they haven't done anything!" Takuya insisted. His voice cracked on the high-pitched vowels as though to confirm his disbelief that such a claim would be believed. The teacher and his flunkies didn't even acknowledge that he had spoken.

Takuya clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration. Seeing his normally confident friends rendered so totally helpless burned in the pit of his stomach. He might not be able to do anything for himself or even, god help him, for Izumi. But he had to at least try to help the twins.

"I'm the one you've been after!" he insisted, wincing a bit at the corniness of his own words. "The twins don't have anything to do with this. Just let them go already, haven't you done enough?"

The Principal raised a single slim eyebrow at him, as though amused by the passion in his speech. He waved a hand at Osamu in a nonchalant manner. The bespectacled Fighter rolled his eyes in annoyance, but obeyed his master's silent command and released Kouji from his hold, shoving him back into Kouichi's waiting grasp. The elder twin clung to his brother as though afraid his twin would be stripped away should his grip waver. Takuya licked his dry lips nervously.

"I'll tell you what I'll do, Kanbara-kun," the Principal began, his voice as smooth as smooth as the satin lining of an elegant coffin. "I'll make you a deal. Since you're so worried about the fate of these two trouble-makers, I will turn them over to your care and yours alone. But in return, you're going to have to dole out the punishment that they owe me with your own hands."

Takuya jerked back with a yelp. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what it sounds like," the Principal's smirk grew slightly larger. "I order you, as Headmaster of the Frost Moon Academy, to punish Balance for their insolence and disobedience to _our_ cause. In cleansing their sins, so shall you yourself be cleansed. It's only fair after all – you _are_ the reason they're in so much trouble in the first place."

Takuya shuddered from the top of his head to the tip of his tail, all the fur on his cat-like limbs standing on edge. The Headmaster observed his reaction with no small bit of amusement, smirking at him over the top of his twined fingers.

"Didn't you realize, Kanbara-kun? Our institution had already decided to give Balance an indefinite leave of absence. Since they were so unwilling to honor the contract their dear mother tried to revoke, we had decided to let bygones be bygones. But then _you_ into the picture, Kanbara-kun. Not that I know what it is these two found so interesting about you. You see, unlike normal people, who spend their entire lives struggling to connect with others in attempt to tie off all the connections needed for a sense of completeness, these two were born with all of those grasping threads neatly tied up. They've never needed anything but each other to make them perfectly happy.

"And yet, for some incomprehensible reason, they reached out to you. And that was the fatal mistake. Slowly but surely, your presence in their private little world has been eating away at their previously indestructible bond. They took stupid risks for you, butting in to School business that would have simply passed them by if they had chosen to ignore it. It was that inevitable downward spiral that led the once-powerful Balance to the sorry state you see them in today.

"So, you see, it's really all your fault."

The Headmaster ended his little thesis with a kind of high-pitched giggle reminiscent of a school girl who had just finished talking about her boyfriend. Takuya's mind spun in the wake of it all, his gut twisting and writhing with the distinct feeling that he was about to vomit. He gripped his hands into fists so tightly that his knuckles began to turn white. But he couldn't deny it. It was all true. All of this, everything that had happened to his classmates…his _friends_…was all because of him…

"You're wrong."

Takuya was jerked out of his thoughts by Kouichi's voice, as sudden and steady as a sharp turn on a deserted road. Balance's Sacrifice held on to his brother with shaking arms and stared into an unoccupied corner with all the fury of a cornered squirrel, but he spoke with steadfast determination.

"Don't you listen to him, Takuya-kun," he insisted, seeming not to notice the way that everyone, including Kouji, was staring at him. "We got ourselves involved, and I for one would do it again in a heartbeat."

Takuya stared at him. "Kouichi…"

"We've been alone all this time," Kouichi said, not quite looking at anyone. "It's true, we've always had each other, but there's never been anyone else who cared. Everyone who tried was chased away – by the rumors, by the School, by us…"

He faltered a bit, and Takuya knew that he was thinking of Soubi Agatsuma. Kouichi recovered a moment later, squeezing Kouji's hand. "We were afraid, so we locked ourselves up and hid from everyone. But now," he looked up, finally meeting Takuya's eye with a smile. "Because of you, Takuya-kun, we've got so many friends. Izumi-chan and Ryo-kun and Ruki-san…we never would have met them if it wasn't for you. We have other people now. _Friends_. Who are willing to help us. And it's all because of you.

"Despite what's happened since then…" he wavered again, and Kouji increased his protective hold. The way the younger twin's ears pressed flat against his own skull made the absence of them on his brother's head all the more obvious. "After…after everything you've done for us, I wouldn't give it up for the world. Any of it."

Slowly but surely, a smile fought its way onto Takuya's face.

"Bleh. You guys are _such_ saps."

Osamu moved as he spoke, grabbing Kouichi roughly by the arm and yanking him back to his feet. The motion tore the Sacrifice out of his Fighter's grip, and Kouji shouted in protest. "Nii-san! Don't-!"

"Don't you _touch_ him!"

Takuya's fist collided with Osamu's cheek with such force and surprise that the bespectacled boy was thrown back against the wall.

"Never again," Takuya spat, steadying Kouichi with his free hand. "You heard him, these two are my friends, and as long as I'm here, none of you bastards are ever going to lay a paw on them again!"

Osamu shot Takuya a glare to kill elephants, pushing off the wall and advancing on him in fury. "You arrogant little…"

"Stand down."

"But Sensei!"

"I said _stand down_, Zero."

Osamu snarled again, but obeyed his teacher's order, storming away from the younger teens with all the composure of a hurricane. Keeping his back to the room, he leaned all his weight against the wall and rested his forehead on his arm, getting himself back under control.

The Headmaster sniffed, standing and pacing, though he remained on the opposite side of the desk from his unwilling 'students.' He bit the flesh of his own thumb lightly, keeping himself focused on the pain and on his thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, he looked to Takuya again with a sharp expression, all of his faux playfulness banished without a second thought. "I suppose you feel that your 'conditional' surrender to Zero is not a solid enough contract to bind you into my service. You are the kind of student who must taste the absolute agony of defeat before you will _condescend_ to show your betters the proper respect. There's only one thing that can be done for that. Alice, my dear?"

"Yes, sir?" the girl glided forward, her eyes focused on her teacher intently.

"I want the two of you to take care of this now," the Principal sank back into his chair, folding his hands in front of them against and once again fixing Takuya with a cold smile. "I'll make a deal with you, Kanbara-kun. Since you've decided to take over the role of protector from Balance, I'm going to give you a chance to live up to that threat. Zero will be your opponent."

Takuya stared at the man as though he had grown a second head. "I don't have a…"

"Silly boy. Your partner has been at your side this entire time," the Headmaster motioned at Izumi. "That's the reason we attempted to extend an invitation to you in the first place, to unite you with Orimoto-chan. Our most honored duty is to fulfill the bonds of fate."

Izumi sniffed, tossing a stray lock of hair back behind her shoulder. "Only when you can coerce a bit of power out of the deal, you mean."

"Even matchmakers take their fee," the Principal said, turning his eyes to Takuya again. "But now, Kanbara-kun, I am placing the reigns of fate in your hands. You have one chance. Whichever side emerges victorious from this battle will win it all. All their demands will immediately be met, no questions asked. Is that to your likely?"

Takuya looked at Izumi. She met his gaze steadily, as though she were looking directly into his soul, and as though he could see directly into hers. They held each other's gaze for a full minute before Takuya finally faced the Headmaster again. "We'll do it."

Kouji's scowl deepened, but his navy eyes betrayed his concern. "Takuya."

"Don't worry," the brunette smirked, his tail twitching with pent-up energy. "I was trained by the best. I won't lose to a couple of lapdogs."

"Posturing already? Pshaw," Osamu sniffed, shoving his glasses up his nose as he strode across. He stood by Alice's side like an imperial guardsman protecting his country's only princess. "You can't scare us. You're nothing but an amateur, and we're long past dead. You won't even be able to touch us."

"Really? We'll just see about that." A slight smirk slid across Takuya's face, its appearance slowed to a crawl by nervousness. What the hell did that guy mean, dead? His mind was racing.

"Takuya."

Warm hands came to rest on Takuya's bicep, and he looked down to find Izumi nestling in his side as though she had always belonged there. She rested her head on his shoulder in a flirtatious manner, but her pretty blue eyes were narrowed in cold severity. "Are you really ready for this?"

Takuya rested his opposite hand atop hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I don't know. But we have to give it a shot, right?"

Izumi smiled just a bit. "Yeah. You're right."

Takuya squeezed her hand a bit tighter and let it fall back to his side, expecting her to pull away. Inside, she held on more tightly, standing on her toes to reach up and whisper in his ear. "You've never even heard our Name, have you?"

Takuya shook his head, incredibly conscious of the way that everyone – the twins, Zero, and especially that creepy Principal – were staring at them. Izumi, on the other hand, paid their audience no mind. She held on more tightly, leaning so close that her hair fell down to brush against his chest. "Don't worry about them," she whispered, her lips brushing the shell of his ear. "Just leave it to me. You trust me, right?"

"Absolutely," Takuya said without a second's hesitation.

Izumi's smile widened and she slipped her arms down to hold his hand. That was all the warning that Takuya had before she opened up the channel between them and his whole world changed.

In a split second, he was suddenly _aware_ in a way that he had never been in his life. He was aware of the power that waiting within him, flowing from all corners of his being to pool around his heart. He was aware of Izumi next to him, her own power surging the connection formed from their skin-to-skin contact, her palm pressed against his. He was aware of the way her energy sought out his, peeling away the protective layers that concealed his energy like the flesh of an onion.

"You feel that," Izumi whispered, not as question, but as a fact. Her voice tingled with excitement. "It's amazing, isn't it? I've been waiting for this. I've been waiting so long."

Takuya squeezed her hand a bit tighter, coming down off the initial high of their contact to become aware again, this time of the world around them. Of Kouji and Kouichi, their spirits indistinguishable from another, wavering in the corner on the edge of hope. Of the Headmaster, his aura icy and detached. Of Zero, their energy being to meld together and reach out for him with long, grasping tendrils.

Izumi pulled him away from that again, grasping his head just behind his ears and guiding his face to look at her. She pulled him down and kissed him. The awareness surged back, stronger than ever before. Izumi's searching energy dove past the nested layers of his soul and finally freed the power that had been hidden so far inside. It burst forth like an explosion, and suddenly, Takuya knew.

He _knew_.

"You know who you are now, don't you?" she whispered, her lips brushing against his and leaving behind delicate sparks of static. "Who _we_ are. Who we've always been. Our Name. Yours and mine."

"We are…_Destined_."

_**TBC…**_


	21. The First and Final Duel

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I just write. A lot._

**Balance**

**Chapter 20: First and Final Duel**

_Once upon a time, there was a clever young man who was hopelessly in love with a beautiful girl. _

_They met their first year of middle school. He was popular, intelligent, the top of the class in both looks and skill. She was withdrawn, distant and just unique enough to catch his eye. They were a match made in heaven, though no one could see it but the two of them. He kept her happy. She kept him sane. Through hell or high water, the two of them knew one truth more than any other: all they needed was one another. _

_Which was why his world fell apart the day that fate decided to take her away. _

**( - )**

The power that rushed through Takuya the moment he heard his Name was unlike anything he'd ever felt. It was as though someone had turned on a fire hose in his soul, the raw energy inside of him bursting out in a steady stream of pure strength. It took him about five minutes to wrap his head around the feeling and get his breathing under control enough that he could actually harness said power.

Zero gave him three.

**"Rip,"**Osamu commanded, without so much as raising the tone of his voice. **"Tear. Cut. Slice. Bind."**

Takuya jerked a bit as his energy was suddenly yanked forward, caught in the fury of his opponent's spells. He stumbled, sucking in a harsh breath as his mind scrambled for the defensive words that Kouji had drilled into him. His mind was completely blank.

Just before his energy was sucked in entirely, another force stepped in, one whose power radiated and pulsed along with his own. Izumi.

**"Shield, protect!" **she snapped, her every word bristling with power. Instantly, the blending of their energies leapt to life and jumped up in front of them, cutting off the enemies' attack completely. **"Block and hold! Lock and defend!"**

The two warring bolts of energy fought for a few long, painful moments until they finally canceled each other out. Takuya swallowed, feeling the ghost of something heavy and tight around his neck, but, when he ran his fingers along his pulse, there was nothing there. "Izumi…"

"Just relax," Izumi soothed, turning back to smile at him. Her cute, tipped ears perked a bit on the breeze to accompany her grin. "Don't worry, Takuya. I've had a lot of practice with this. Just keep standing strong and I'll protect you, I promise."

Takuya stared at her, unable to make a sound. Zero attacked again, but Izumi was too fast, bouncing in with a counter-attack this time that reflected their power right back at them. They went back and forth so quickly that it made Takuya's head spin. Amongst his muddled thoughts, a single realization made itself clear, as burning and white-hot as a bullet to the chest.

_I'm the Sacrifice here…_

**"North wind, catch!" **Izumi barked, throwing both of her hands straight out in front of her. The fireball-like attack was caught by a circular curve of wind, held at bay only inches from the tips of her fingers. **"South wind, return! South wind, burst!"**

A great wind, with the force of a hurricane, burst from the nothing just behind Takuya and flung the captured fireball back to Zero's side of the field. It was followed by an equally violent tongue of wind that struck the ball dead center, exploding it into a rain of smoke, fire and debris.

**"Deflect," **Osamu commanded, and an invisible shield easily defended them from the flaming onslaught. He pushed his glasses up his nose with a cold smirk. "Already got your mantra started, Princess? Very good. It's nice to see you're taking this seriously."

Izumi sniffed, tossing a stray lock of hair back over her shoulder. "And you're not?"

"Of course not. This is just a game," Osamu said coldly, and that was the only warning he gave before the next command. **"Spirit of Shadows, shatter their defense!" **

At once, Osamu and Alice's shadows burst to life, leaping off the floor and at Destined like starved beasts finally free from their cages. Their hands grew into monstrously sharp claws, which they brought down on their victims like knives, ready to carve them straight down to the bone.

Takuya stepped back on instinct, but Izumi grabbed his arm before he could go too far. **"North wind, block! West wind, defend! East wind, fortify!"**

Her living winds, colored by the swirling energies building up around them, dove into the fray and blocked the shadows with a wall of pure energy. Izumi took advantage of the two forces struggling with one another meet her partner's eye. "Takuya, listen. I need you to focus, okay? Just watch me and focus."

"Right…right, okay," Takuya muttered, feeling more than a little pathetic. He planted his feet, the way that Kouji had taught him – but that was for a _Fighter_, what if a Sacrifice was supposed to stand another way? He'd never seen Kouichi take a fighting stance, he'd always just stood there, watching over Kouji's every move. So maybe that's what he needed to do, just watch Izumi's back and let that beautiful, wonderful girl go up against these monsters all by herself while he just stood here and did nothing…

"Takuya!_ Focus!"_

He snapped his head up and the winds, which had been flickering from existence in his distraction, were suddenly solid again. The shadows they were holding back had multiplied and were sill clawing at the barrier savagely, crowing and cawing like a flock of wild birds, eager to get to their prey.

Kouji was the one who had yelled, and he continued to shout from the sidelines, just barely loud enough to be heard over the rushing wind and squawking shadows. "You need to _focus_, dammit, don't let your mind wander! If you're not thinking about her, she'll never be able to keep this up! You've got the power here, but if you don't give it to her it'll never get used!"

"Takuya-kun, listen," Kouichi broke in, softer than his brother and yet, somehow, easier to understand. "Don't even think about the fight, or the stakes, or Zero. Just focus on Izumi. Think about her, and nothing else, and you'll be able to support her no matter what happens."

"Okay, okay…I'll try…"

Takuya narrowed his eyes until Izumi was the only thing he could see, narrowing his mind until she was the only thing occupying his thoughts. He thought about her smell, her smile, her voice, how beautiful she'd been the moment they'd met. Something powerful surged in his heart and brought a smile to his face. That power rippled across the connection they had forged like the shock wave after an explosion, carrying its strength straight from his heart to Izumi's without so much as a second thought.

Izumi's eyes shown and a matching grin stretched across her lips just moments before the next command burst forth. **"South wind, **_**attack!**_**"**

From behind, the South Wind – in the form of a luminous green fairy the size of a small dog – dove into the battle and slammed into the barrier formed by her fellow Winds. It broke through with ease and tore through the shadows like they were made of crepe paper, scattering their essence in all directions. With a high-pitched note of triumph, it dove for Alice, only to be blocked with barely the twitch of Osamu's hand.

The constructs vanished as the energy that had created them dispersed in all directions. When the battle had cleared, Zero remained untouched. But, then again, so did Destined.

Izumi turned back and smiled at Takuya, the same way she had smiled at him in the ice cream shop. "That's more like it. You're getting the hang of this pretty fast."

Takuya blushed and laughed. "Auw, you really think so?"

"Feh," Osamu sniffed and spat off to one side. "You got lucky."

In response, Takuya stuck out his tongue and pulled down the lid of his left eye. Osamu's eye twitched a bit behind his glasses.

"Concentrate, Zero," the Headmaster admonished from behind. "Don't let their immaturity get to you."

"Yes, sir," Osamu muttered, shoving his glasses back up his nose.

Takuya frowned. Alice still stood just behind Osamu, between him and the Principal, but she hadn't said a word since they entered the room. In fact, her expression had not changed from the moment the battle started – she just continued to stare at him, her pale blue eyes glassy and distant as though she were lost in a dream. Her stillness was unsettling, especially as the pale green light of the monitors danced across her skin.

"You see it, too?"

Kouichi's voice was soft, too soft to carry to Zero's side of the field. Takuya frowned and nodded, muttering a soft, "Yeah. There's something weird about her. She's not moving."

"It's more than that," Kouichi hissed, and Takuya got the distinct feeling that he was speaking Sacrifice-to-Sacrifice, rather than just as friends. "There's nothing coming from her but pure power. I can't sense any emotion from her at all – it's all coming from Osamu and disappearing into her. It's like a black hole. Like she's already dead…"

_"We're long past dead…"_

"What the hell are you whispering about?" Osamu snapped. "You gonna give up or what?"

"You _wish_," Kouji chimed in, popping up to grab Kouichi protectively by the arm and give Osamu a particularly rude hand gesture. "Nii-san's just giving him a couple of tips on how to kick your ass."

Osamu's scowl deepened and he flexed his hands restlessly. "Once this is over, I am going to enjoy torturing you both."

"I already told you, no one's laying a hand on them," Takuya insisted, slipping back into the battle stance. Power blossomed up from inside him and ran along their connection to Izumi, spreading out from their union in all directions. "We're not going down, and we're all going to get out of here, I promise you that. Time for round two!"

**( - )**

_In their first year of high school, the beautiful girl fell ill. _

_It began first with fainting spells, then fevers and vomiting and all other forms of horrible things. She began attending school less and less and visiting doctors more and more. Soon, she became too weak to leave her own bed, and was confined to a small, lonely room in a small, lonely hospital. Her disease was unlike anything that place had ever seen before, and no one alive knew of a cure. _

_So she suffered, but she did not do it alone. Through it all, the young man who loved her so remained by her side. He visited her every day, sometimes with beautiful gifts and sometimes with only words of devotion and love. He held her hand and brushed her hair and promised her the world if only, only she would remain by his side. The beautiful girl who loved her young man so dearly wanted nothing more than to grant his wish and remain with him until the end of days._

_But love alone was not enough to make fate askew its course, and the beautiful girl died. _

_The poor young man was left as only a hollow shell of his former self. So distraught was he that he decided to end his own life in order to be with her once more. So he stepped in front of a speeding bus, and that should have been the end of them both. _

_Except that it wasn't. _

**( - )**

Before either side could speak so much as another word, a resounding crack echoed through the room, quickly followed by another. The door buckled slightly inward, beginning to splinter along the center. From the other side, another crash echoed as a heavy foot pounded against the stubborn wooden frame, a familiar voice pushing its way through the cracks. "Kanbara!"

Takuya twisted around. "Akiyama?"

The Headmaster snarled, rising from his chair. "Insolent little traitors…!"

There was another crack as Ryo slammed into the door again, throwing all of his weight into his shoulder. The crack along the middle of the wood grew larger, and the doorframe cracked around the weak metal hinges.

"Ignore them!" shouted the Principal to Zero, slamming his hands onto his desk. "Just finish this, now!"

"Yes, sir," Osamu said, the only warning before his next command. **"Ground, rise up!"**

The wooden floor shattered as a spike of earth shot up under Destined's feet. Takuya suddenly found himself air borne on the force of the sudden earthquake, the force of the blow throwing the air from his lungs. Izumi yelped as she was thrown towards the ceiling, twisting around in mid-air to shout, **"North wind, take flight!"**

Her North wind, the pink-colored personification, swept in from behind and caught Takuya in a bubble of air. He sucked in a gasping breath, scrambling for the pieces of his mind. "Woah…"

Izumi. He had to concentrate on Izumi. She was sliding down the wind's back just in front of him, supported by the same billowing cushion of air. Her hair danced around her like a living being and it was beautiful, no, she was beautiful, beautiful and fierce as a lioness as the spell burst from her lips…

_**"Shatter, earth! Mountains, contain the wind!"**_

Osamu spoke not a sound, but his command was felt across the battlefield with instant, deafening clarity. With a deafening boom, the pillars of ground exploded, sending a storm of rocks and boulders in all directions. The North Wind screeched as its body was pieced, shattered and finally dispelled altogether, its protective bubble vanishing in a split second of violence. And then, Takuya was falling, falling like a stone, like the stones that were falling all around them, under him, over him, on top of him, _oh god_…

"Takuya! ? Takuya!"

He was conscious again and immediately choked on the air that hadn't quite made it into his lungs. He was alive, he was conscious and, yes, yes, the connection was still there, he'd only been out for a moment, just a split second, the battle was still on…

"Takuya-kun, get _up_!" Kouichi shouted. "Don't just lay there, get up!"

Takuya rolled to the side and tried to obey, but found that he couldn't move his arms. They were pinned to his sides within the confines of thick, stubborn cloth; a straightjacket. He jerked to his knees, struggling uselessly with his bound arms, and shouted in frustration, "Oh, _what the hell?_"

This time, it was Izumi's voice that broke through. She was shouting from the other side of the short, rocky wall that was the result of Zero's last, unspoken attack. "Takuya, tell me you're all right, please!"

"I'm fine!" he shouted back, but his words were cut off by Osamu's snicker.

Takuya couldn't see Izumi now, but he could still see Zero, smirking at him from the top of an earthen platform that was just wide enough for the two of them and the Principal's desk. "Don't lie to the girl, Kanbara. You're on the downward spiral now and you know it."

A last surviving monitor from the now-shattered banks sparked and flickered, causing his glasses to flash. Izumi shouted, **"Defense!" **and the sound of energy shattering against her insubstantial shield could be heard from the other side.

"Izumi?!"

"I'm all right!"

"You guys really got something good going, I'll give you that," Osamu continued, as though he were talking about the principal's taste in décor. "You've been together all of five minutes and you actually brought us to this. But there's no turning back now. You can't even protect yourselves. Not against _this_."

A crackle of electricity shot across the field, through the rocks and slammed into Takuya like a javelin. He gagged and pulled at the thick leather collar that appeared around his throat, bound so tightly that he couldn't even squeeze his fingers between it and the skin of his neck.

"Takuya?!" Izumi called again, but he still couldn't see her. Zero had cut them off, separated them, and they couldn't even predict what attacks would come next. The School was just playing with them now, now that there was no way to defend, no way to win.

No, no, _no!_

They couldn't just give up now, not after they'd come this far! Takuya's fingers continued to twitch against the collar, searching for a grip, for any slight sign of leeway. He couldn't give up, they couldn't give up, there was too much riding on this. Their lives, their friends' lives, their families, their safety, _everything_ was riding on this. They couldn't lose, not to them, not now, no matter how hopeless it seemed, there had to be a way to win, they just had to find it…

"Dammit, Takuya, _snap out of it_!"

Kouji's shout startled Takuya out of his thoughts just as Fearless finally broke through the office door. While Ryo hurried to check on the twins (who were just fine, all things considered), Ruki stopped just outside the door and analyzed the situation in an instant.

"Kanbara," she called, in the same even, unshakable, Sacrificial tone that Kouichi had used before. "Get yourself together. You can still win this."

Takuya straightened, his cat-ears perking in Ruki's direction on instinct even though he knew they couldn't hear a word she said. His hands slowly slipped away from the collar and motioned to her to continue, but keep it low, fast and discrete.

"Zero isn't invincible, he's deluded," Ruki insisted, following his wordless instructions so well that her lips barely seemed to move. "His confidence is a product of that delusion. Break that, and you'll break their bond, and that will be the end of it."

"I thought I told you brats to _quit whispering!_"

Osamu sent another blast of energy through the wall. Izumi yelped and tried to stop it – **"Defend!"** – but the wordless spell was too quick for her. Takuya's collar tightened and he choked again as it dug into his skin.

"Takuya…!"

"I'm fine!" he coughed, cutting off Kouichi in mid-cry. His voice strangled a bit by the pressure on his vocal cords, but it didn't muffle the determination. "I told you, I'm getting us all out of here, and I _will!_ Even if it kills me!"

"This is getting tiresome," muttered the Headmaster with a yawn, lounging across his desk like a bored lion overseeing his pride's latest hunt. "Just finish it now, would you please? No reason to keep them dangling."

Osamu looked a bit disappointed, but masked it well behind the glare of his glasses. "As you wish, sir."

The world around them slowed to a half, a quarter, an eighth of its normal speed. Takuya's heart, pounding in his ear, slowed its rhythm until he could count the seconds between each beat. Two seconds. Five. Ten.

The moment of truth was coming. This was it. They couldn't lose now. They _couldn't_.

There had to be a way.

**( - )**

_Despite his best efforts, the young man survived._

_He lay in a bed not unlike the one his love had been confined to for so very long before her untimely death, unable to move or speak or even breath without the assistance of a machine. A merciful god might have granted him unconsciousness and oblivion, but the poor young man received not even that mercy. He was left alone to become lost, day after day, in the memories of his beautiful girl and his own fervent wishes to be at her side once more. _

_And then, one day, he received an unexpected visitor. _

_The visitor knew of the young man's tragic plight, and he sympathized in a way that no one ever had. He offered the young man a deal, one that reunite him with his beloved. He promised the young man that they would be together forever, that not even death would be able to separate them. There was only one condition: total obedience. _

_When the young man agreed, the visitor removed the machine that had been keeping him alive and killed him without a second thought._

_Later, the visitor woke him, and young man found himself in a new world. He found that, in this world, there was no pain, no sorrow, no feeling at all. And there was his beautiful girl, though she was as cold and unfeeling and alien as this new world. But she was there, and she was as beautiful as ever._

_And the visitor said to him, you see, I have returned your love to you, now give me your end of our bargain, and the young man who was so deeply in love swore his eternal loyalty to him without a second thought. _

_So the young man and his beautiful doll remained, if not lived, ever after in their new world, under the watchful direction of their kindly visitor._

**( - )**

Something jumped on the barest edge of Takuya's consciousness, in the same instant that time suddenly snapped back into its proper pace. Like a rubber band breaking under the strain of an extended stretch, the endlessly long seconds shattered, throwing them back into the spur of the moment, intensified and expanded by the rush of raw adrenaline.

Osamu's eyes flew open, and that was the only warning they got before the rock wall between Takuya and Izumi burst like a row of water balloons. The gravel remains flew in all directions, the force of the blow throwing Destined into the air. On the sidelines, Fearless and Balance dove out of the way, covering their heads and one another to protect from the splatter.

Twisting around in mid-air, Izumi shouted commands to her Winds, which swept in like butterflies through a hurricane to catch them, right them and set them back on their feet. Through it all, Osamu remained poised at the edge of his platform, conducting the action without a single spoken sound, confidence oozing from his every pore. The Headmaster sat just beyond, grinning his cold, selfish grin from just over his servant's shoulder.

And Alice...

Alice was still standing there between them, wordless, boundless and still. Not a hair on her head was out of place, nor a strand of her dress disturbed. Even the muscles on her face remained exactly as they had been at the beginning. She never even blinked.

The final pieces of the puzzle in Takuya's mind dropped into place. The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. "She's a doll."

His voice cut through the storm like a razor blade and, though they carried no physical power and had no trace of a spell on their syllables, they stopped Osamu's magic in its tracks. Like the parting of the red sea, they split the rocks in two directions, leaving them to fall on either side of the battle without a scratch on either side.

Takuya could see his partner again, and he sighed thankfully. Izumi grinned broadly and hurried to his side, checking worriedly on the conjured straightjacket. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"What did you just say?"

Osamu's voice was tense like a snake about to strike. He stood on the edge of his platform, which seemed much closer now than it had before, as though he was about to dive off the edge. His body was incredibly still, and he was gazing at Destined dangerously over the top of his glasses.

Takuya couldn't help himself. His opponent's dramatics just brought out his inner class clown. "I said 'I'm fine.' You don't seem too happy for me."

"Cut the crap, you little punk!" Osamu snapped, eyes blazing. "What. Did you _just_ say. About Alice?"

"I just told the truth: she's a doll."

"Shut up!"

"Hey, you _asked_ me!" Takuya retorted. "And you know it's true! You feel it too, don't you? You know her better than anyone! You've got to know that she's not really there. Maybe that's her body, or a part of her, or something, but it's not really her!"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut _up!_"

"Osamu."

Alice's voice broke through, as crystal clear and cold as a mountain spring in February. Her blue eyes reflected the same intensity, but only for a few split seconds. "They're lying. Don't let them distract you."

Osamu relaxed, soothed by her words, but Takuya caught sight of the glimmer of doubt behind his lenses. It bolstered his confidence, pushing extra power into his next words. "Who's lying? If you really didn't believe what I'm saying, you wouldn't be freaking out over this. You're just in denial."

"What the fuck do you know, kid?" Osamu demanded, shoving his glasses back up his nose. "You don't know us. You don't know anything about us, what we've been through together!"

"Together? For gods' sakes, look at her! Half of the time, it's like she's not even there! She only ever responds or moves or talks when you're thinking about her doing it! When was the last time she did something that surprised you, huh?"

Osamu hissed, the sound growling primal and dangerous low in his throat. "I'm not surprised when I'm with her. We know each other too well, we can read each other's thoughts. I know everything about her, _everything._"

"And that's _exactly_ why she can't be real."

Osamu's guard dropped for a split second of surprise, giving Izumi the chance she needed for a surprise attack. **"East Wind, strike!"**

The personification burst into existence to answer her call once more, diving at Zero with all the speed and precision of a falcon pursuing its prey. Osamu jumped back and shouted a defensive word, but there was no power to them – they died as soon as they left his lips.

Silver chains, as strong as tempered steel and as beautiful as hand-crafted jewelry, wrapped themselves around Alice's arms. They trailed from shoulder to wrist on each arm, pulling and tightening until they were bound to her chest like a mummy. Her face never changed. She never made a sound.

The Principal, sensing that he was losing control of the situation, stood and slammed his hands against his desk, sending his paperwork flying in all directions. "Zero! Focus!"

"Just listen to that blowhard," Takuya said with a snort, as though he would have been laughing had the situation not been so completely inappropriate for that kind of thing. "He thinks he can order you around, but the only person with the right to make you do anything is Alice. She's the Sacrifice, she's the one sticking her neck out here. You owe it to her!"

"Osamu."

The Fighter in question stiffened, shoulders twisting and contracting into painful knots. Alice was speaking to him again, her voice as cool and crisp and unreal as a bucket of ice water that remained crystal-clear in spite of the ice and the cold. "They're lying. Don't let them distract you. Focus, Osamu. They're lying. Don't let them –"

"Stop it!"

Osamu turned on his heel, lurching back at his partner to grab her with all the desperation of a stranded animal. Her shoulders were tiny in comparison to his hands, the chains on her arms jangling with each shake. "Stop it, Alice! Prove them wrong! Show them that they're wrong!"

**"South Wind, burst!"**

Izumi's attack shattered through what little defense Osamu's instincts managed to muster, exploding the moment it made contact. More silver chains burst to life, starting with an immaculate, gleaming collar and twining around her waist. They looped also around Osamu's arms, binding him to her as literally as he had been figurative. But still, he wouldn't let her go.

"Alice, _please_," he begged. "Tell me they're wrong."

"They're wrong," she said obediently.

Osamu looked like he was about to scream. He wrenched his eyes from her as though it physically hurt him, looking to the Headmaster. "You said you brought her back!"

"I _did_," hissed the Principal. "She's right _there_."

**"North Wind, bind!"**

The silver chains wound their way up Alice's legs, binding them together and toppling her over into Osamu's arms. Zero's Fighter held her against his chest as though cradling a precious china doll, still staring at the Principal with wide eyes.

"But is it really her?"

"_Yes!_" cried the Principal, his voice tinged with the panic that could only come from watching his entire world and all of his best laid plans crumbled out from under him. "Just as I promised! It's really _her!_"

"But why can't I _feel_ her?"

"We don't feel anything," said Alice from his arms. There wasn't a tinge of emotion in her voice, not even the barest hint of love. "We are Zero."

Osamu closed his eyes then and lowered his head in defeat. He took a few deep breaths, his shoulders heaving and shaking with each one. A small, demented smile slid over his face. "Yeah. That's right, isn't it? We're Zeroes. We don't feel…anything…"

**"West Wind, Attack!"**

This time, Osamu faced it head-on, like an old man facing the sea.

"Keep it coming, you stupid witch!" he raged, demented smile still firmly in place. "You can't beat us! You'll never beat us! We feel no pain, no fear! We feel _nothing!_"

"I think he's lost it," muttered Kouji from the sidelines. "Whatever they're going on about, it must have been bugging him for a long time."

Kouichi nodded, gripping his brother's hand. "I feel sorry for him."

"Yeah," Takuya said slowly, a bit unnerved by how quickly the situation had spun first into his control, then out of it. It hadn't occurred to him just how easy it could be to shatter someone's carefully-constructed denial, nor the consequences that could come from doing so. "Izumi…"

"I know," Izumi said, in the same tone as the nurse who tells little Timmy that old Spot has to be put down. "I'll make it quick."

She planted her feet, pushing the roots of her stance deep into the ground, and took in a deep breath. Energy was sucked into her like smoke into a vacuum cleaner, leaving Takuya a bit light-headed and unsteady on his feet. The twins appeared just as he lost his balance, breaking into the battle field for a split moment to steady him by the arms.

**"All winds, together!"** commanded Izumi, her voice deep and strong as the center of a storm. **"Four points, unite! Enemy, be vanquished!"**

The four personifications burst into existence as one, looping around and around the battle area a few times before flying directly up from the four compass points. They united at the top of the dome, forming, for however brief a time, a perfect compass rose. Then they united into one grand being – like an angel, a true warrior, as beautiful and fierce as an eagle – which dove at Zero with a furious battle cry.

The Principal shouted in fear and dove under his desk. Osamu clung onto Alice, his stiff, unresponsive, unfeeling Alice, as though she were the last thing in his world. The only thing in his world.

And then it was over.

_**To be concluded…**_


	22. Denouncement

Hah! I told myself I'd get this finished before the end of August, and I was right! Of course, I'm kinda pushing it, but still…I hope you all enjoy the conclusion.

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own Digimon, nor do I own anything to do with 'Loveless'. I just write. A lot._

**Balance**

**Chapter 21: Denouncement **

The Principal kept his word, to everyone's surprise.

Despite the fact that a good wing of the school had been pulled down, there were few readily apparent injuries and only the Zeroes were missing. The Headmaster climbed from the rubble with the rest, brushed himself off and scowled his way through the proceedings, but he did not go back on the promises he had made at the beginning of the fight.

The paperwork was drawn up within hours. Izumi was officially expelled, much to her delight. The twins were likewise absolved of whatever ties had bound them to the School in the first place; and the efforts to recruit Takuya were officially abandoned. Junpei and Tomoki's permanent records were wiped clean – along with, it must be said, most of the rest of the school, given that the registrar's office was immediately next door to the Principal's office and therefore among the rubble.

Then, to everyone's surprise, a number of black-suited figures bearing paperwork from the School system that Ryo had spoken of turned up bearing paperwork. The Headmaster, they said, was being called in for questioning over the abuse of the now-defunct Zero project. It seemed that the project was unstable enough as it was, but the current Principle had taken extra measures to increase the potency, while likewise increasing the risk to the subjects, himself and those around him. He looked even paler than usual as they were escorting him away.

Nobody was exactly sure how _that_ got taken care of. Takuya suspected Soubi's involvement – pulling the strings from behind, watching over his former students in his own way. The twins rolled their eyes, but didn't deny it. Besides, no one had yet laid eyes on the 'temporary' principal who was to take the disposed Headmaster's place. No one involved in the combat was interested in sticking around.

They went home, escorted by Fearless who, in spite of their injuries, were in good spirits. Or at least, Ryo was in good spirits. Ruki remained as stoic as ever, but even she seemed relieved of a heavy burden now.

Once they were sure that everyone was settled back at home, Fearless packed up their things from the twins' apartment and returned to the School to 'Monitor' the ongoing situation. They promised to make sure that the new administration was better than the last, and to keep in contact with their new-found 'friends.' Kouichi even convinced them to give him their cell phone numbers. It hadn't occurred to Takuya that they even had cell phones.

Meanwhile, those who had homes to return to did so. The twins settled back into their apartment, shooing Takuya away politely but firmly with the affirmations that he would see them at school – safe, secure, _normal_ school – soon enough. Takuya himself returned home to worried hugs from his parents and threats of being grounded until the end of time if he ever so much as thought about disappearing on them like that again. He laughed, assuring his mother that no such thing would happen, and he actually meant it.

Izumi spent one night with a contact of Fearless's, then found herself a small and relatively unassuming apartment nearby that was willing to rent to her without much question. The next day, she found herself a part-time job at the ice cream shop where she and Takuya had their first – dare they day it? – date. That afternoon also found her newly enrolled in the same class as Takuya and the twins. Nobody really thought too hard about how that gotten taken care of, either.

One way or another – through chance or effort or the actions of a man too devilish to be called a guardian angel – their loose pieces finally fell into place.

Spring Break came to an end.

**( - )**

_Knock. Knock knock knock._

"Nii-san? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Kouichi called through the bathroom door, toweling his hair. "I'll be out in a minute. Go on to bed."

Kouji snickered at that, and though he fell quiet, Kouichi knew he wouldn't be going to bed. His brother had been keeping a protective watch over him from the moment they'd gotten home, never leaving him alone for too long. He supposed that Fearless had suggested that – they seemed intent on making sure that neither of them did any more damage than had already been done.

Kouichi sighed, setting the towel to the side and glancing at his reflection in the mirror. He had heard once that amputees would sometimes feel as though their missing appendage was still there, leaving them with a 'ghost limb.' The principle shouldn't have worked with a limb that was meant to fall off on its own, but it did. He could still feel the instinctive twitch of ears he no longer owned and the brush of a non-existent tail against the back of his knees.

Slowly, his eyes and fingers drifted to the cardboard cigar box that sat on the countertop. Nestled inside, on a bed of tissue paper and bubble wrap, were two realistic-looking fake ears that exactly matched his hair color.

They had arrived the day after they had returned home, special delivery. The invoice had been in Soubi's name. Other than the ears at the fake tail that went with them, the package had been empty. Still, they knew what to do.

Kouichi lifted the costume ears out of their wrappings and held them against his head. They blended perfectly, and the clips that would hold them in place were practically invisible. Nobody would no the difference.

No one but him.

Outside in the hall, Kouji jumped a foot when the sound of shattering glass echoed from inside the bathroom. He twisted around and pounded at the door with both fists. "Kouichi! Kouichi, nii-san, are you all right?! Nii-san!"

When he didn't get a reply, he slammed into the door shoulder-first. It burst open, the simply lock shattering under the force, and Kouji stumbled into the bathroom on the force of his own momentum.

The mirror was broken – shattered, really, in three places. Blood clung to the sharp edge of glass surrounded the impact points. A few crimson droplets scattered across the sink, the countertop and the fake ears that lay there. Kouichi was crouched on the floor, curled around his bleeding hands and sobbing miserably.

Kouji sucked in a breath, moving to his brother's side. He knelt beside his twin and gently pride the injured hands out where he could see them properly. Kouichi sniffed, not meeting his eye. "I'm sorry."

"S'okay," Kouji soothed. He brought his brother's hands to his lips and kissed the broken flesh. "I understand."

His brother choked out another short sob. "It hurts."

"I know it does."

Neither were talking about Kouichi's hands.

Reluctantly, the elder twin's eyes traveled upward until they came to rest on the fake ears. He bit his lip. "I…I can't wear them, Kouji. I just can't. They're not…they're not _real_."

"It's all right," Kouji sighed, reaching under the sink to pull out the first aid kit. "It was a stupid idea anyway. Fake ears. Of course that sneaky bastard would come up with something like that."

The insult against their former teacher brought a slight smile to Kouichi's face, but it wasn't enough to lift the weight from his shoulders. As Kouji applied bandages to the elder's bleeding hands, they sat in silence and stewed over their situation. They had a chance now, a chance for a normal life, or something resembling it. But if people knew…

Kouichi closed his eyes, and he could already see them. The looks of disgust, horror and pity that would follow him everywhere he went. The whispers that were bound to fly the moment he walked into the classroom and the loss became clear. The dawning realization that would flicker across strangers' faces when they realized how young it was and just how soon he had lost his…

Sensing his thoughts, Kouji pressed the last bandage into place and kissed his brother's forehead. "Don't."

"I'm sor–"

"Don't apologize either," Kouji said, taking his twin's face in his hands. "You didn't do anything wrong. You _never_ did anything wrong. You're going to be okay, you'll see."

Kouichi sighed and glanced away. The mantra was familiar by now. It was something that Ruki's therapist friend had said during their sessions, and she had encouraged Kouji to repeat it as often as possible around the home. It was supposed to be comforting, reassuring. Now, it just felt hollow.

"Nii-san," Kouji said, pulling his brother from his thoughts. "You trust me, don't you?"

Kouichi gave him an exasperated look and a very small smile. "Of course I do."

Kouji smiled back. He looked almost as pained as his twin. "I…I don't want you to go through this alone."

"Kouji…"

"Listen to me," the Fighter insisted. He picked up his brother's wounded hand and pressed it over the jagged scar on his own arm, over their Name. "We made a promise. A vow. I told you that I'd always be with you, and I still mean that. That's a promise I'm never, ever going to break."

Kouichi's smile became a bit more honest. He squeezed his brother's arm. "I know."

Kouji worried his bottom lip with his teeth, thinking over his next words very, very carefully. "And you'd know I would never, ever want to hurt you."

"You never have."

"But I don't want you to go through this alone."

Kouichi's eyes widened slightly as he realized what his brother was asking. Kouji's eyes were pained and scared, terrified of his brother's reaction. He looked a little like he was about to be sick. "If…If you don't want to…if you don't think…I understand, I do, and I'm sorry. I just, I can't stand seeing you like this, and I wish I could…I want to…I just want to _help…_"

Kouichi silenced his partner with a kiss. Whatever words had been struggling to find their way out were lost. After a long while, he pulled away just long enough gaze into his brother's eyes.

"I trust you," he whispered, and kissed him again.

**( - )**

The first morning back at school was almost unbearable for Takuya.

Nothing had changed, and it aggravated him. Classes continued on as usual, rumors still flew like wildfire, Matsuda was still a jerk and not a damn thing had changed. It just didn't feel right. Everything had changed for him, the whole _world_ had changed, his whole _life_ had changed. School ought to reflect that.

But it didn't, and it drove him insane.

He sat at his desk in the middle of the classroom and worried. He squirmed in his seat, tapped his pencil against the wood, and worried. He worried about Izumi, even as she introduced herself at the front of the class with a smile – he couldn't even focus on how cute she looked in her new uniform (and she did looks really, really cute). He worried about whether she'd be happy here, about how the other students would treat her, if they would be as savage to her as they had to the twins. He worried about Ruki and Ryo, even though he knew that they could take care of themselves better than just about anyone. And he worried for the twins. He hadn't seen them all weekend, and neither were in their seats…

Izumi gave him a concerned glance as she took her seat just in front of him. Takuya smiled at her, trying to assuage her fears as well as his own, but the concern for his friends quickly ate any comfort it might have offered away. The teacher began his lecture, as though nothing was abnormal. Takuya's tapping only grew faster with every word.

Then, the classroom door slid open. From the front of the room came a collective gasp.

Kouji and Kouichi stepped into the room hand-in-hand, sliding the metal door closed behind them. Their expressions were carefully blank and remained so even as a torrent of whispers flew around the room. Even in front of everyone, they never let go of each other's hand.

Neither one had their ears.

Takuya let his pencil drop in surprise. Izumi gasped. The classroom burst into a storm of quiet conversation, as though whispering made them invisible to the subjects of their discussion. The teacher blinked at the twins, his lecture trailing off in mid-sentence, as though he couldn't quite connect the scene before him with anything that made sense.

Finally, he spoke. "Minamoto. Kimura. You're…late."

"Sorry, sir," Kouichi said with a respectful bow. "The power was out at our apartment. It won't happen again."

"Ah, well…see that it doesn't."

Their expressions still neutral, the twins made their way through the classroom to their seats, pointedly ignoring all of the scandalous looks that people were shooting them. They slid into their chairs and pulled out their books as though nothing had happened, ready to take notes and start the new semester off right.

Takuya glanced their way. Kouichi met his eye and gave him a soft smile, squeezing Kouji's hand underneath their joined desks. The corners of Kouji's lips twitched up as well, and he raised an eyebrow at Takuya as though daring him to say anything.

Takuya did not. He just smiled.

Izumi smiled as well, and her expression lit up the room like a million Christmas blubs. All around them, the class continued to gossip and whisper and gasp, despite all of the teacher's efforts to silence them. All of their greatest suspicions had just been confirmed, but none of them – Takuya, Izumi or the twins – could care less.

Nothing had changed. Everything had changed. And that was exactly how life would be from now on.

**END.**


End file.
